Mass Effect: The Battle Of Menae (Season 1)
by jerseydanielgibson
Summary: A gathering of warriors, either elite or desperate, fighting for the Turian moon as the Reapers assault the Hierarchy Fleets and Palaven itself. Alone and outnumbered, ten survivors are forced to put away their personal animosities and work together as they face the greatest threat their species have ever known. This is the battle of their lives, this is the Battle of Menae… (O/Cs)
1. Chapter 1

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 1 - The End Times Are Nigh, Day 1

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason looked out of the Kodiak, seeing the surface of Menae passing underneath him. Around the shuttle, chaos unfolding as the Turian military-held moon of Palavaen became the center-stage of the war effort for the Turians. Royce grimaced as he held his M8 Avenger at the ready; the gun extended, the butt locked with the hollow of his shoulder, one hand on the grip while the other was looped around a strap of the UT-47. The men of his squad were strapped into their seat, yet he stood by the shuttle's open bay, the door having been removed, surveying the Turian moon as they flew low to the deck towards their objective. It was a simple mission; the human squad of twenty Marines were to provide a Quick Reaction Force for Turian forces as they regrouped at some firebase on what AlCom (Alliance Command) dubbed the Outpost. The militant alien race had been brutally punished defending their homeworld, and Menae was both the front line and the last line; if the moon was lost, then Palavaen was lost.

Earth needed Palaven to survive.

"Chief? Ten minutes to DZ." The pilot, Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck, said over the intercom, imposed by their location on the viewer screen, which had a blip representing their shuttle, and another for the firebase. The VI was collating everything that the shuttle's sensors were picking up; radio signals, contacts, and unknowns. There wasn't much in the way of blue and green; friendlies and allies. Lots of red, though; the Reapers and their forces were everywhere. Royce could see a Destroyer-class Reaper touch down on the moon at a good distance, walking on its tentacles, firing its deadly red beam upon the ground, some poor fool was undoubtedly on the receiving end. Turian air forces were assaulting the Reaper, strafing runs to try and knock out its shields as a Frigate came in for a salvo. The Reaper's beam went from the ground to the Frigate, and the Australian-born N6 watched as the ship was taken out with one beam, the ship exploding into half as the debris littered the moonscape. The sight had the Commando grimacing, thinking of how many hands had just been lost in a second.

"Marines, listen up!" Royce spoke into his throat communicator, addressing his men as he looked from the terrible view and into the faces of his squad. "Outpost 39 is facin' heavy opposition, and has taken serious casualties. Our job is to go in there, and relieve some of the pressure the Turians are facin'. We're part back-up, part replacements, and part go-to guys. If we want to retake Earth, we need Turian forces, and they aren't leavin' if their planet is burnin'." To punctuate his speech, he looked back at the sight of Palaven in the sky. It was obvious, even from their incredible distance, that the planet was taking a pounding. Massive fires of incredible size were dotting the surface, and it wasn't hard to see the debris of destroyed ships littering the lanes around both planet and moon.

"We fought the Turians back in the First Contact War, so we know how tough they are." Royce continued his pep talk to his men; they needed to know what they fought, and what they fought for. "These guys haven't lost a stand-up fight since the Unification Wars, and back when the Krogan dropped an asteroid on one of their colonies back durin' the Rebellions. Turians don't retreat, and they'll die to a man shovin' a gun in your face.

"And the Reapers are lettin' them do just that."

That had the men look at one another in silence. This wasn't the spoken bravado of a sure victory, nor was it the lies of a mission of desperation. Royce wasn't going to lie to them, but he wasn't going to crush them, either. Men needed hope to fight, and would fight even if that hope seemed lost. He was going to give them that hope, and that hope wasn't going to be a lie, either.

"Back durin' First Contact, humanity faced an opponent that outnumbered us, outgunned us, out-teched us, and outclassed us. We had every disadvantage covered." That brought a twisted smile to the N6's face, talking about a war he had been born after. "Yet we held the planet of Shanxi against a superior opponent who had to resort to using kinetic orbital strikes to defeat block-by-block fighters, and gunned down men using hit-and-run tactics. Our strength is our ingenuity and our adaptability, the ability to do somethin' our enemies would never suspect or expect." That had some of the Marines nodding. "We're the youngest kids in the block, yet in less than thirty years, we've went from crawl to sprint. That's human courage! That's human determination! You want to take back Earth? Start by killin' Reapers here, havin' them begging for reinforcements in Menae, so they draw their forces away from Earth, then our Fleets can sneak up behind them and kick 'em in the quads. Do you get me?"

"Hoorah, Gunny!" The Marines cried out, loud and proud. They were ready.

"What's the most dangerous weapon in the world?" Royce called out, almost as if in song.

"A Marine with a rifle in hand!" Each of his men said in unison; they knew the cant.

"What's the most dangerous enemy in the world?" The Chief asked.

"A Marine making a stand!"

"Who do you beg for when the chips are down?"

"A Marine to come save your ass!"

"WE'VE GOT INCOMING!"

Royce turned at the pilot's transmission, looking at the view, and finding something big and red heading their way, right at their rear. And fast. The N6 stuck his head out in the breeze and saw a sight that had his heart almost shoot up into his throat. He had never seen one before, but with the invasion of Earth, Alliance had tagged and identified every troop that had been a part of the enemy forces, along with their weapons, capabilities, and any known weaknesses. There were quite a few, but this one got special attention. Origins unknown. Larger than a fighter vessel. Extremely dangerous. And it could fly.

They were being chased down by a Harvester.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Royce shouted to the pilot as he grabbed the Kodiak's cargo strap with his right hand after switching his Avenger to his left, and stuck himself out as far as possible into the breeze as he began firing his Avenger with his off-hand in the hopes of either distracting the Harvester, dissuading it, or perhaps blinding it.

Known weaknesses; none apparent.

"Flap faster, Harbeck! Damn things' gainin'!" Royce shouted as he popped a thermal clip from his reserve bag on his waist one-handed by putting his Avenger in between his legs; risky, but necessary. The Marine Gunnery Chief grabbed his assault rifle and began firing again as he watched the thirty meter flying disaster getting closer quickly. "Harbeck! Seven o'clock! It's gonna hit us…"

**CRASH**!

The Harvester had gotten into range quicker than Royce had anticipated, and its head thrashed the side of the Kodiak shuttle. For a brief moment, time slowed for Royce Mason as he felt weightless, his feet losing their purchase in the shuttle as he went horizontal outside of the shuttle, hanging on by the shuttle's cargo strap. He could see the shuttle rocked by the jarring impact of the hit, now pointing in a thirty degree upward direction, and fifty degrees port side. For a brief moment, he saw where the head had hit the shuttle, caving in not only the rear portside panel, but hitting the port engine as well. Sound had ceased for that moment as Royce looked down and all he saw in between him and Menae was perhaps a dozen meters of air; he didn't remember them flying _that_ low before. _We're all going to die, _the N6 Commando thought to himself as he floated weightless for that brief moment.

And then that moment was over.

Time and gravity returned, and Royce felt the shuttle jerk as Lieutenant Harbeck tried correcting the shuttle's flight as the Gunnery Chief flew around and hit the side of the shuttle, jarring him. It unfortunately had him lose his grip on the cargo strap when he bounced off the side of the UT-47a, and the Australian-born human felt himself falling, giving off a wild yell of surprise as he curled himself into a ball to protect himself when he landed. His descent didn't last long as he bounced off the moonscape of Menae, coming to a stop on his back. Everything hurt as the human groaned, moving his arms and leg, making sure that nothing was broken. His Kestral Armor and barriers must have done the trick, as he was still alive, and he could feel everything, unfortunately. Royce looked up to see the shuttle that he had fallen off still flying still being assaulted by the Harvester, taking another hit by the flying creature. Smoke and fire billowed from the shuttles' engines as they disappeared over the horizon, the Harvester shrieking as it swooped in for the kill.

The N6 took a few minutes to get up, letting the agony of pain slowly subside from his body as he checked through his many weapons and pieces of equipment to see if everything was functional, and to give himself a chance to come up with a plan. He first checked his M8 Avenger assault rifle, and then his M96 Mattock, satisfied with both as he put them both on his back. Then came his M27 Scimitar shotgun that was place on his back, just above his hips. Then it was the two M3 Predator pistols that were just forward of his hips, holstered backwards. Finally there were the M4 Shuriken submachine guns he had on each of his thighs. A quick check of their frames and thermal clips showed that none had been damaged in the fall, in which Royce was grateful. A quick look at his Kestral Armor and spare thermal clips showed them that he was lucky; nothing had been damaged during his short fall.

_Now, where to?_

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason looked at his surroundings, seeing the crags and outcroppings of Menae everywhere he looked. The view was different that it had been front the shuttle, and he admitted to himself that he had no idea where he was, or where anything else was besides the Outpost. There was no real reference as to what direction to go, no recognizable landmarks to use. The Australian saw only one thing as a means of a waypoint; Palavaen itself. The Outpost had been, more or less, had the burning planet to the right of the shuttle, at its' two o'clock position. Royce oriented himself with the planet as his means of navigation, pulling out his Avenger, and walked towards the direction of the Outpost, hoping he found someone friendly along the way.

The end times are nigh, Royce Mason thought to himself as he started walking.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 2 - The Long Walk On A Short Road, Day 1, an hour or so later

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason continued walking through the crags and outcroppings of the moon Menae, his patience tried as he found himself going around yet another obstacle. The moonscape had been turned to a full-fledge warzone, so he understood having to get around the odd crash site and burning wreckage of a Turian vessel or Reaper corpse. Yet the moon itself was as much a weapon; land forces were funneled through the valleys in between large rocky hills, or risked exposing themselves if they went straight-line distance. On his own, the N6 went for a more tactical approach, keeping to the lowlands and avoiding the odd Reaper patrol or flyby. One Reaper Carrier was currently in the vicinity, as big as a Dreadnaught, deploying more troops somewhere forward of his current position. The Australian grimaced at the sight of the slow-moving Carrier as it spat out deployment pods onto the moonscape, undoubtedly bringing more Cannibals, Marauders, and Husks to some unfortunate bastards. He noted that the distance really wasn't that far off, and the Reapers didn't drop troops out in the middle of nowhere.

There was somebody out there, and undoubtedly in need of help.

Royce went over a small ledge, moving forward at a double time, his Avenger swinging comfortably in his grip as he watch the Carrier slowly soar off. Thankfully, it hadn't dropped any Harvesters that he could see, so whatever it was, would just be land-based forces. Land-based forces, he could deal with, as long as he got to whomever was catching hell in front of him in time. Right now, anybody would be a better sight than being off on his own, walking into numbers he couldn't deal with, dying alone. He scooted around a precipice and found exactly where the Reaper troops had deployed. A detachment of Husks and Cannibals were milling about on a small rocky field, assaulting what looked to be a natural tor; a crater with walls, a great defensive position. It looked to be that the tor held a few people in it, and they were firing at the Reaper forces, trying to hold them back as Husks blitzed forward, ready to maul while the Cannibals fired at the tor, keeping the defenders heads down.

Royce wasn't about to wait around.

The N6 Marine ran down the angled wall of the precipice, firing his Avenger without any real aim as he sped down the side of the rock wall, heading into the fray. His round were taking the Cannibals in the back, and a few fell as he shot in the general vicinity of several of them, the volume of fire doing better to take them by surprise as oppose to a tactical, precision assault. Some of the Cannibals turned as Royce's Avenger used up its thermal clip, the Marine taking another and slamming it into the clip port with practiced ease, causing the overheated one to eject as the fresh one settled into place in less than a second. Royce continued firing as about half of the Batarian-mutated Reaper forces turned their guns onto him, a few getting off a few shots as the N6 continued to mow at them. A few had fallen, and to his disgust, he watched as a couple of them began feasting on their fallen comrades to heal their wounds, making them tougher opponents. Royce swapped thermal clips in his Avenger again as he tossed it onto the hardpoints on his back and pulled out his Scimitar as he got within the effective range of his assault shotgun.

Royce leaned forward to increase his speed as he bullrushed the Cannibals that were in front of him, their wild shots beginning to deflect off his armor's shields. He got within ten meters of the Reaper forces when he fired his first shot while sprinting right at the five Cannibals that stood before him. His first shot staggered one back a few feet, while his second sent one onto his back. The Australian-born human was within a few feet of the third as his next shot tore through its armor, the accelerated particles exiting out of the Cannibals' back. The forth took his shoulder into hits chest as he tackled the mutated creature, putting the barrel of his Scimitar into its stomach and pulling the trigger, blasting it off of him. The fifth one caught a blast to the face, its head exploding into a gooey paste. The N6 took a knee behind a rock outcropping, slamming a fresh thermal clip into his shotgun and letting his shields recharge. There were still a few Cannibals on the field, not to mention the Husks that were rampant. Shields restored, the Marine vaulted over the waist-high rock wall, switching out his Scimitar for his Mattock, slapping a thermal clip into his concussion underbarrel as his eyes settled on the small group of Reaperfied Batarians.

His Mattock spoke several times as the powerful old semi-automatic rifle shot each of the Batarians, three rounds needed to take each one down.

Royce leapt over another wall, heading towards the tor as he slapped in another thermal clip, facing his first group of Husks. Thankfully, the Human/Reaper variant were weak, and it only took a well-placed round into the mutated human's heads to take them down. Several fell with easy precision; each shot taking on in the face, and they quickly fell like pins. The N6 shot his concussion barrel, launching a concussion round at a small group of Husks, knocking several to the rocky surface as he ejected the spent thermal clip and loaded a fresh one. More Husks poured onto the field, supported by the Batarian Cannibals as Royce threw himself to the ground, rolling to some short cover to avoid the spraying rounds that the mutated Batarians were firing at him as the Husks grew closer, their moans and snarls growing closer.

The first that popped its head over to his position had its head explode.

Royce rolled out of his cover, moving backwards as he pulled out his Avenger, mowing down the group of six Husks that were converging on him. Rounds were hitting his shields as the Marine's fire took one Husk down, and then another. One mysteriously flew up in the air quickly, launched towards a spire, smashing into the narrow rock pillar with bone-breaking force. The Australian utilized the Avengers' underbarrel to shoot a concussive shot right at the three remaining Husks, knocking them all down, giving him time to round behind a boulder, slapping a fresh thermal clip first into his Avenger, and then another to his underbarrel. He heard the distinct sound of a sniper shot, the sound of wet flesh being impact by a high-velocity round contacting something organic, and Royce quickly deduced that there was at least a sniper in the tor, where the shot had come from. He wasted no time heading towards the tor, still a good few dozen meters away as he shouldered his Avenger, firing at another group of Husks that were trying to make their way to the tor. A few went down with his assault rifle shots, and two went down with what looked to be a shotgun blast as they tried to mount the tor; they went down at the same time, which made no sense to the N6. He wasn't wasting time trying to figure it out as she blasted another concussive shot at the husks, sending three of the seven flying as a black orb appeared right in the middle of them, crackling with blue energy. The remaining Husks were caught by its swirling vortex, floating off the ground and suspended in zero gravity. Royce took full advantage of the situation by spraying the floating Husks with his Avenger, watching some of them being hit by someone else's shots. The Marine ascended the hill that led to the tor, and jumped over the ledge, landing in the pit with the ones who held it.

The Marine threw his shoulder into the rock wall, peaking out over the edge and seen several more mutated Batarians continuing to assault the position. He returned his Avenge back to its carrying configuration before placing it on his back, pulling out both of his Shuriken submachine guns and pushing them over the ledge, firing alternate bursts with each hands at the remaining Reaper forces, while two other assault rifles joined his attack, and the sound of a sniper rifle said that its accurate, high-velocity rounds were joining in as well. The Cannibals were cut down in quick order, and the field was empty of opposition. Royce loaded fresh thermal clips in his Shurikens as he placed them back in his thigh holsters.

Now that he had a chance, the N6 saw who his new allies were as he looked over to them.

The tor was not much more than a small pit, and inside of it were three people that Royce hadn't expected. There was an Asari, a Turian, and a Krogan occupying the pit, each of them reloading their weapons as he had, checking the equipment as their eyes went to him, the new addition. No words were said a first; it was a potentially volatile situation, with four species that had plenty of reasons not to trust one another. Asari arrogance, Krogan aggressiveness, Turian militantism, and Human assertiveness, all locked in one small pit. Anywhere else in the galaxy, Royce would have figured that he either walked into a funny bar joke, or a bad situation. Each of them stood, facing one another, and it was obvious that there was no trust between them. Whatever brought the three of them together was recent, and hadn't changed the old hatreds between their kinds.

"So." Royce began, his eyes shifting from the Asari, to the Turian, and finally to the Krogan. "Is there a game plan, or are we killin' each other here in this crater? Because if it's all the same to the lot of you, I'd like to kill some Reapers before I die."

"The human's got a point." The Asari admitted, her azure face facing towards him as she said so. She was armored in what appeared to be red light Serrice Counsel Armor, high grade and expensive. "We're here to stop the Reapers, not each other." She had a Vindicator in her hands, pretty typical for a Vanguard commando.

"Fine with me." The Turian expressed, his mandibles twitching. The Turian was cradling a Mantis, and dressed in green medium Predator Armor. The Krogan, in contrast, merely grunted. Royce eyeballed the Krogan, wondering what one was doing so close to Palavaen. By the look of the bulky Battlemaster Armor he wore and the illegal Claymore he had hoisted over one shoulder, the Marine figured him to be a mercenary who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one was leaving the Apien Crest or the Trebia System, not with the Reapers blockading the Mass Relay that would have anyone either enter or leave the system. The Reapers controlled the system, and the space around it, but for the time being, Palavaen and Menae still belonged to the organics. The merc was here on his own accord; he had nowhere else to go.

"My squad was headin' to a firebase, some place we called Outpost 39." Royce explained. "It's a defensive position, and last I heard, still being manned by the Turians. We can stay in the open, or we can bunker down with more boondockers. I'm partial to more guns watchin' over me, myself. Got the location on my Omnitool, but I don't know this area at all. I'll need directions."

"I have no objections with that." The Asari commented, looking over to the Turian and the Krogan. The Krogan merely shrugged, while the Turian nodded a moment later; no objections were voiced. "You have a name, Human?"

"Gunnery Chief Royce Mason, N6 Operative." The Australian put out his hand to shake, and the Asari took it.

"I'm Asha. Asha T'vara. Vanguard." The blue-skinned warrior identified herself as she shook the human's hand. "The Turians' name is Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, techie and sniping. The Krogan never gave his name, but it's obvious that he's a merc. Probably Blood Pack." Royce grunted now that the introductions were over. "Thanks for the assist back there. You're good at killing Reaper forces."

"We gonna stand and talk, or are we going to move?" The Krogan complained, heading out of the tor and out into the open.

"I suggest we collect as many thermal clips from the dead as possible." Elias replied, following the Krogan. "Spirits know when we're getting resupplied, if ever." That had Royce look to Asha, who wordlessly looked back at him. He didn't see a hint of fear in any of their eyes. They wouldn't see fear in his, either.

"Just another long walk down a short road." Royce shrugged his shoulders, taking his Mattock off his back, offering Asha to go first. "I'll take rear and watch our backs."

"Agreed."


	3. Chapter 3

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 3 - The Shores Of Hell, Day 1, evening time?

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason walked with his three new squadmates, his feet crunching over the moonscape as they headed towards where the Outpost was. The unnamed Krogan was up front with his Claymore in his hands, taking point for them while Royce had the rear. The Turian Tech Specialist Elias Korvan was in formation behind the Krogan, keeping him in the right direction by means of his Omnitool while holding his Mantis propped against one shoulder. The Asari Vanguard Asha T'vara was behind the Turian Engineer, cradling her Tempest submachine gun in her arms. Royce had the rear guard, taking a moment look behind them every-so-often, staring at the landscape, seeing if any movement caught his eye. He had his Mattock out, using the 3x power scope to focus on anything that he thought had merit investigating. So far, they had come across nothing worth mentioning. At the least, nothing had tried to kill them in the past couple of hours.

They ran into something of a roadblock.

"Stay low, I see something." The Krogan merc said quietly, getting lower. They all moved in line without words, their weapons held at the ready as they worked their way up a small hill. Elias Korvan moved a little bit forward, laying on his belly, using his elbows to drag himself forward to the crest of the hill without skylining himself. He put himself in a position where he could see over the hill without standing out, her Mantis set up and ready. Whatever the Turian had him cursing, though. That had the Krogan, Asari, and Human look at one another and followed the Turian's actions. They crawled forward and took position beside the sniper, and what they saw had all of them cursing as well.

The bowl in front of them was filled with Husks. Hundreds of them.

"Mother of God." Royce breathed out, looking at them through the scope of his Mattock, seeing them just… standing there. "They're doing nothin', like they're waitin' for something."

"Invasion." Asha breathed out, yet that had the Marine shake his head.

"No, not really." Royce looked over to the Asari, seeing the Turian and the Krogan looking back at him. "I've seen this before. They're expendable troops, here to fight us, and then left and forgotten once their purpose is served. Unless someone is dumb enough to initiate contact with them, they'll just stand here and drop from starvation or whatever it is that will kill them over time."

"Practical." Elias said, the sniper looking to the area filled with the human/Reaper hybrids. "No supplies or support needed, and obviously the Reapers don't care what happens to them. They're just here to kill." That had the four of them silent as they looked at the obstruction; they'd have to go around it, and it would waste time and add to their distance. "Where'd you see this at? Earth?"

"Eden Prime." Royce answered. "Where my parents moved me and my sister back in '78."

"So you were there when Saren and the Geth attacked." Asha pointed out, in which the Marine nodded. "The Husks there would just… freeze up?"

"Yeah. Damnedest thing." The N6 thought of that time, back when the Geth were the boogeymen, and thought Husks were the Quarian-created Synthetics' creation. Everyone knew better now. "They last somethin' like a month or so, and never seem to eat. Of course, clearin' them out was hell after the Geth tried destroyin' our colony. Didn't move or rove around, someone would walk up on one just… standin' there. There'd be a brief firefight, and that be it. Went like that for weeks, 'cept after awhile we'd find them lyin' on the ground, no shots or nothin'. Just dead."

"So you think the same will happen to these ones?" The Krogan asked, his head jerking to the hundreds of Husks that stood there.

"Yeah, they're definitely Human Husks. Good think their unrecognizable; hate to find out if it were anybody I know." The Australian-born Marine pointed out. "You don't want to walk up to a Dragon's Tooth and see someone you know or love impaled on one, being Huskified. Though I imagine I've probably knocked off a few Turians you knew, Elias. No offense."

"None taken." The Turian sniper replied evenly, no hint or emotion from his subharmonics. "I figure every Marauder I shoot is one Turian Spirit that I'm freeing from the grips of the Reapers. Same goes with Husks. The Batarian Spirits can go rot in hell after I kill Cannibals for all I care. Damn slavers and pirates, the whole lot of them."

"Not all of them are like that, Elias." Asha interjected, an Asari to the core, making the Krogan chuckle.

"All the ones that leave Khar'shan are; it's the only way the Homogeny will ever let them leave." The merc said, looking back at the Husks. "Either grab slaves, or become one yourself. Batarian riffraff got it worse than just about anybody in the galaxy. I would know, I've been just about everywhere. Including Khar'shan."

"Can we focus on the army in front of us, and finding away around it?" The Turian asked, obviously impatient.

"What, afraid of a little gunfire, Turian?" The Krogan taunted the sniper, but Royce could easily tell that the Krogan wasn't stupid enough to take on so many Husks. If he were a merc, then he would have to have looked at a job and realize it was too dangerous, or not worth the credits. Mercs were pretty popular with not taking jobs that might be risky. Of course, Krogan were rather exceptionally hard to kill, so what the merc might think as risky would be different for any other being.

"By all means, charge on ahead. I'll cover you from back here." Elias said sarcastically, flipping his talons forward as in an offer. "Just don't expect me to go in there and retrieve your corpse."

"I think I see a way around." Asha said, pointing to a cut that went around the wall and circumvented the bowl where the Husks were at. Unfortunately, there was nothing that blocked them from view. If they traveled that way, they would be exposed, and within visual sight if any of the Human Reaper forces decided to look over to them. Any noise that attracted their attention, or too much movement, and they would surely be dead. "For it to work, we need them to be looking at the opposite direction, having them facing that way," the Vanguard pointed to the opposite direction, which thankfully wasn't where they needed to go, "So we're going to need a distraction. Something that would get the Husks' attention."

"How about a recon drone?" Elias asked. That had Royce look over to the Turian, who had set his sniper rifle down and brought up the Omnitool on his left arm. The Marine watched as the Tech Specialist started tapping rapidly on the input device on his Omnitool, impressed by the fact that a three-fingered being could do so faster than he, a five-fingered human being, could. "I'm setting it up for speed and distance. Give me a minute, and I'll have it speeding away in the direction you desire. It will only last about a minute, but it will have the Husks further in that direction, and facing that way, as well." Omnigel poured from the Turian's Omnitool, surrounding a program as the Omnigel shaped itself into a grey sphere. "Go, Scout! Get those Husks running!"

"Prepare for battle in case this all goes wrong." Royce told the others, setting his Mattock back on its hardpoint as he placed his Avenger in front of him, and then armed himself with both of his Shurikens, intent to put out as much volume of fire if the Husks' attention somehow shifted towards them. He saw that the others had done the same; both Asha and Elias had their Vindicators out, while the Krogan armed himself with a, no bullshit, old M76 Revenant Light Machine Gun. All of them were ready as the recon drone that the Turian Tech Specialist had programmed sped down the hill, hovering just above the heads of the Husks'. It sped off in a straight line, garnering the attention of several Husks, who began to moan and chase after the drone. That got the rest of the Human/Reaper hybrids' attention, and they began to stampede towards the speeding grey sphere. The sphere dipped below the horizon of the next hill as the Husks followed it at a run, their cybernetic arms swinging back and forth as they mindlessly went over the hill, the hundreds of Husks running over the hill to chase the single drone. It took a moment or two of waiting, but the plain was clear of them.

"Program terminated." Elias confirmed, shutting down his Omnitool recon program. "That worked out well. Cleared the plain, and probably set up some poor souls with a Husk army. Let's get out of here before they decide to return or my conscious gets the better of me."

"Fast and quiet." Royce recommended as the four of them stood up, and began moving through the cut that the Vanguard had spotted. The N6 Marine took the lead, with Asha right behind him, followed by Elias, and the Krogan merc picking up the rear. Each of them kept lost as the moved through the small path that was no more than a a flat ledge that was bisecting the side of the rocky incline. Royce moved at a quick pace, glance back once or twice to see if anyone was having issues keeping up, and to see if any of the Husks were coming back. Thankfully, there was nothing worth worrying about as the Australian-born Commando continued to move past the bowl, circumventing the large dip in the moonscape. They passed the obstruction within a few minutes, cresting over the next ridge line and working their way down the hill, which was thankfully devoid of any opposition. "Good plan, Elias. Glad it worked out." The Human said back to the Turian as he continued to lead them over the the Menae landscape.

And the war around them continued to rage on as they walked across the shores of hell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 4 - Reflections Of A Troubled Mind, Day 1, Night

They had stopped for the night, having found a likely location to rest, eat, and catch a few hours of sleep before they reached the Outpost. According to Royce's Omnitool and Elias's knowledge of Menae, they still had another ten or fifteen kilometers to go. None of them were interested in moving about at night as Palavaen covered the Turian sun, bringing the moon's night about. Visibility dropped as the ambient light of the stars and Palavaen brought a dull gloom upon the moon, accentuated by the burning swaths upon the Turian homeworld. The Krogan had spotted a likely resting point, a small cave-like pit that provided adequate cover and protection. None of them mentioned it, but they needed the rest. Royce himself had been up for more than 24 hours, which had included an attack by a Harvester, falling out of a shuttle, and fighting off several Cannibals and Husks. The wear and tear and stress would eventually get to him, making him less proficient and prone to making more mistakes. That was true for anyone, though other species could last shorter or longer than humans. According to the Citadel, the Galactic Standard Day was just over 30 hours; an average of day lengths of each of the Counsel homeworlds. The Australian-born man didn't really know the day lengths for any of the others, but he got the impression that Elias had been up for more than one of his days, and the Korgan had been up for quite some time as well. The small cave was as good a place as any. It would give them a chance to eat and rest, and stay in top fighting form. Royce checked out the cave, his Scimitar in his hand as he explored its depths for any surprises. It only went in perhaps five meters, but it would be big enough for all of them to hide out for the next several hours.

"Clear." The N6 called out, motioning for the others that it was safe for them to come forward. The Asari, Turian, and Krogan had taken a knee behind some cover in case something came at them, and with Royce's inspection over, they walked over to the cave. None of them wasted any time occupying the sideways depression, sitting down and pulling out whatever various foodstuff they happened to have on them. Royce was amused to see the different meals they each happened to have. The Asari Vanguard, Asha T'vara, pulled out a small packet that seemed to be filled with appeared to be some sort of strange dried fruit-looking cubes. The Turian Tech Specialist, Elias Korvan, pulled out a white plastic tube that looked something like a toothpaste tube, undoubtedly filled with dextro food. The Krogan pulled out jerky, probably Varren or Pyjak. That's what Royce hoped it was. He pulled out a small bag from his shin container, looking at a small sealed package that contained a squishy meat-cake thing that was suppose to be an all-purpose meal; the effect was almost gagging.

"That doesn't look very appetizing." Asha said, looking over at Royce's food. The Marine noticed that no one had immediately dug into their food, and each were eyeballing what the other was eating.

"I don't think military rations are suppose to be appetizin', it would spoil all the fun of tryin' to guess what it use to be." The Australian-born man replied with a twisted smile, poking at the squishy meat-cake. "Next time we face some Cannibals, I'm goin' to chuck this into the mix. Saves me on grenades, and perhaps the taste will scare off the Reapers." The joke had its effect as Elias chuckled, his mandibles wiggling while the Krogan gave off what looked to be a smile; it was hard to tell with Krogan. "At least I didn't get stuck with food that was meant for Quarians. Did you mug a Pilgrim, Elias?"

"This?" The Turian held up the food paste tube, clipping a corner of it with his talons. "Actually, the Migrant Fleet got the idea from us. You just associate it with Quarians because its all they can eat outside of their Migrant Fleet. I have it luckier; from what I understand, the Quarians farm algae and synthetic byproducts for their food. They always seem willing to trade for our military rations. Goes to show how bad their food must be."

"Ours isn't so bad." The Asari held up her packet of fruit-stuff. "This is known as _jal'veil_; a fruit tree that grows on Thessia." Royce nodded; it looked like it was a fruit. "This was a staple of my people long ago, before we achieved spaceflight. Of course, we dehydrate it so that it lasts longer for rations…"

"And flavor goes right out the airlock." The N6 guessed, getting a nod from the Asari. "Nice to know that no matter where you are in the galaxy, the food is always going to be bad in a warzone. Reapers one-up'ed us; their guys don't even need to eat. No supplies to disrupt, no stock to poison or steal, no headquarters to infiltrate and sabotage. Smart; just have piles of dumb troops for us to waste our rounds and our lives against, and they don't even care about their own attrition rate. Like fightin' zombies." Royce reflected out loud.

"Like… what?" Asha asked, curious. Obviously, the word _zombie_ didn't filter through the supposedly universal translator, or there was no close equivalent in the Asari language, the Marine thought to himself. He saw that he had the other two's attention as well; they had never heard of the word, either.

"Back in '83, when Saren hit my colony," Royce began, "we were dealin' with the Geth for the first time when we came across the Dragon's Teeth and the Husks for the first time. I don't know who coined the term 'Husks', but we initially called them zombies. It's an old Earth superstition, when the dead come back to life to haunt and eat the livin'. They're suppose to be mindless, slow-movin' corpses that hate us, and want to feast on our brains. Every time I see a Husk, I think of a zombie; a dead person who wants to snack on me. It's not too far off."

"Creepy." Elias replied, looking at his food tube, the contents gone. "Makes me think of the Marauders, and what disturbs me most about them; their tactics." That had the Turian silent for a moment as he folded up the empty tube into a smaller version of itself. "They fight like Turians; support, flanking maneuvers, coordinated fires, and providing assistance. It's like they read our handbook and are now using it against us. When we… when _I_ fought the Humans back on Shanxi, we never could find a good set of tactics that worked well against your people." The Tech Specialist looked to the N6, his subharmonics calm. "You were always changing, but were just as smart and as aggressive as we were, save with adaptability. You would use something until it didn't work, and then you would change it and use another. You didn't fight attrition like we would, and organizing against a platoon of militia was foolhearty; you never did anything we expected. And those were just farmers and pioneers." The Turian shook his head.

"We like to boast that we won the Relay 314 War, but we fought against an unsophisticated enemy with weak weapons, no air support, fewer numbers, and no reinforcements. Yet they had brains and bravery, and we took telling losses against farmers and pioneers without a day of training or service. We had to resort to using kinetic strikes from orbit to succeed in our objectives because we weren't winning the ground war against a smaller, weaker race. My people, for the most part, secretly despised the humans. It is because for the first time since the Rebellions, we found a worthy adversary who were just like us, but in an opposite matter. You pride yourself in unpredictability, and your rulebook is filled with tricks and cheats. We should have been learning from you as oppose to trying to slander and degrade you. Just like we did with the Krogan; another mistake of ours."

That had the four of them silent, hearing Elias make such a confession. Royce wasn't stupid; he knew that a good deal of the alien races felt that Humans forced and bludgeoned their way higher in the galactic scheme of things. The thing was, they were absolutely correct; the Alliance and Earth wanted to be a major part in the scheme of things. In the three decades since the First Contact War, Alliance Space covered a full 20% of Citadel space; the same amount as the Asari, Salarian, and Turians. They had only gotten a Counsel position in the past couple year, quicker than any other race if you didn't include the fact that the Asari created it, and thus inherited the position. The Turians had taken almost a century of war fighting the Krogan Rebellions to get themselves into the Counsel, and species like the Volus, Elcor, and the Hanar had only Ambassadors, and had so for centuries. There were species that didn't even have that; the Krogan lost theirs, as had the Quarians, while the Batarians had given theirs up because of the Skyllian Blitz. The Drell and the Vorcha never had one, and likely never would; their populations were too small, and in the case of the Vorcha, were too primitive.

"Let's get some sleep in. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" Royce told the others, looking at them as he ate what the package described as beef patty. "Two up, two down, four hours each sounds like a good plan. I'll take the first shift, and I'll let you guys work out on who's sleeping first. Any objections?"

"I shall join you." The Asari Vanguard replied, putting the last of her _jal'viel_ in her mouth. "I don't think I could sleep next to a Krogan's snoring."

"Damn. I was thinking the same thing." Elias muttered, making the Krogan merc chuckle softly. Royce and Asha stood and quietly left the cave as the Turian and Krogan finished their meals and tried to find a comfortable spot to sleep in the cave. The Human and the Asari took their post outside of the cave, close enough to it so they could run in if anything in the air swooped but, but far enough that they could monitor any movement nearby. Royce had his M96 Mattock out, sitting it on his lap while the Vanguard took a spot a few feet away, cradling her Tempest. A few minutes passed by silently as Royce's attention was turned to Palavaen. He looked off to the the Turian homeworld, seeing the devastation that it was suffering, the flashes of light that indicated that ships were fighting space. Off in the distance, he could see a Destroyer-class Reaper walking about on its tentacle-like legs, prowling about like a predator.

"Thinking of Earth?" Asha asked curiously. Royce looked to the Asari, who had only glanced at him when she had asked her question, her gaze going to the moonscape for a moment before her eyes returned to him. He found himself studying her, looking at eyes the same color as her skin; the color of Eath's deep blue sky. Though she might be a woman, he reminded himself that, technically, Asari weren't of a particular gender, and that Asha T'vara didn't look like a woman in need of a man to protect her.

"Yeah." The Marine reflected, his mind troubled. "Got deployed a few weeks back, just missed being kill on Arcturus Station. Heard the news when we landed in Lyon, rerouted to the Apien Crest on the hopes that we could secure some safe havens for my people here with the Turians to help. We came just before they had the system completely locked down. Bad luck or bad timing; both are skills of mine."

"I can't imagine how you or Elias feel." The Asari said softly, her sky-colored eyes going to the war-torn planet. "If there was a race that I thought could stand up to the Turians militarily, I would have said it was the Human Alliance. Seeing what is happening to the Turian fleets here, hearing what happened to your own fleets… we're going to lose, aren't we?" Asha was quiet for a second, her question rhetorical. "What do we have that can stand up to the Reapers."

"Shepard comes to mind; the Commander seems to have a knack of doing the impossible." Royce answered, without a doubt in his voice or in his mind. "And I won't lay down and die, either. I'll keep on fighting until I'm gone, and I'll expect the next person to pick up where I left off, and keep going. Enough of us do that, Asha, and we'll win. Because right now all we have is each other. Never thought I'd work alongside a bunch of different aliens, but now that I'm here, we might as well make the most of it. I'll fight alongside you, live alongside you, and even die alongside you. For Earth. For Palavaen. For Thessia. Even for Tuchanka and the rest. It's no longer the time for us to hate one another because of history or heritage. A bigger boogeyman has showed up, and they show no discrimination whatsoever." The Marine looked back to the Reaper Destroyer that he had seen in the distance. "We stand and fight together, or we die slowly, separately, wishing that we had."

"It is sad that it takes this for us to finally reach this point." The Vanguard mused, obviously troubled by what Royce said. "But, for what it is worth, I am glad to have you by my side, Chief Mason."

"Good." The Australian said with smile. "Now we make the Reapers regret it."


	5. Chapter 5

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 5 - Of Empty Spaces And Empty Places, Day 2

It was what they considered morning on the moon of Menae, though the fog of war and the sounds of fighting made it hard to discern the actual time of day upon the Turian moon. Royce had been rudely awakened by the Krogan merc, his foot kicked by the half-ton alien when it was his time to get up. Asha, who had been sleeping more-or-less right next to him, suffered the same treatment, making the Vanguard glow biotically as she sat up, her warrior instincts faster than her conscious mind. Tech Specialist Elias Korvan was standing by the cave's entrance, his M92 Mantis in his arms as he posted watch as he and the Asari stood up, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep from their minds. Royce double-checked all his weapons as he worked some of the kinks out of his body, making sure each were in working condition, with fresh thermal clips in each.

"Anythin' happen?" Royce asked the Turian as he holstered his shotgun last, pulling out his M96 Mattock and readying the weapon, knowing that they would be walking soon.

"War didn't end while you slept." Elias confirmed, making the human snort in appreciation. "Let's head towards that Outpost. Perhaps we can get news on our efforts, and maybe they'll have decent chow. We should be there in a few hours barring any complications."

"Yeah? Subtle plot twists I could do without." Royce replied, getting what appeared to be a confused look on the Turian's face. "Any ideas who we want to take lead, or is it strictly volunteer?"

"I will take lead." Asha spoke up, standing next to the human and the Turian, the Krogan only a few feet away. "Anything that gets in our way will get a warp in its face before it gets my foot up its ass."

"Love a girl who can talk dirty to a grunt." Royce smiled, giving a not-too-subtle wink to Elias, who merely shook his head. "I'll take up behind you for suppression, and the Krogan next for brutality in case I have to duck. Elias can pop anythin' with that cannon of his that we might miss."

"It's a plan." The Turian approved. With that, the four of them wordlessly began their movement towards the Outpost, the silence enveloping them as they traveled over the moonscape of Menae. Asha had her M9 Tempest out, moving at a pace that was just short of a jog. Royce had his own M8 Avenger out, moving just a few meters behind the Asari Vanguard. His eyes never stayed still on any one thing, scanning the moonscape as he moved forward. For the most part, there was little in the way of interest that grabbed his attention. Despite that it was an alien landscape, the crags and outcroppings began to look the same. Royce let his subconscious mind wander as his instincts took over as they traveled. Royce found himself looking up at Palaven off slightly to his right for a moment, seeing a different section of the Turian homeworld due to its rotation and the moons' revolution. All he saw was more devastation, points of lights that were undoubtedly settlements and cities that were on fire, baring the brunt of destruction as Reapers continued to attack the planet and the people there. The Australian-born man thought about Earth, and wondered if it would look the same from Luna, albeit not as large in the sky as Palaven was from Menae as the Turian moon was much closer than Luna was to Earth.

His eyes wandered about, and Royce found that he had been staring right at the Asari's ass.

Royce shook his head quickly in a double-take, ungluing his eyes from the Asari's well-defined posterior. Go figure, let his mind wander and his eyes attached themselves to the nearest thing that was a female. Normally not a bad thing, he was a guy after all, but she was, well… an alien.

Royce hadn't really interacted with that many aliens; he had been born in the Outback where there were few people and no extraterrestrials, and there were very few in the human colony of Eden Prime. The N6 could count the aliens he had honestly interacted with on both hands. All but one of them had been Turians, and the last was a Hanar that never would shut up about the Enkindlers. He had been part of a joint-training effort that the Alliance and the Hierarchy had been working on a effort to have their two races work together, and had brought N6 graduates and Turian Special Ops candidates. Royce had found the Turians to be tough, very team-oriented, and very skilled. Some had been willing to interact with the Human soldiers during the training event, and the Australian-born man wondered if any of them were here on Menae, fighting for their homeworld. It would have been interesting to run into one of those nine Turians that he had met here; small galaxy and all. He had seen other aliens when he lived in Eden Prime, but never really interacted with them. This had been the most that he had ever interacted with more species other than the Turians.

He couldn't say how he would have felt about that before; before the Reapers, before the fall of Earth.

The four of them continued on their jaunt the time moving slowly as they crossed ravine and ridge, hill and valley, plane and crags, of empty spaces and empty places. The moon of Menae was a horrid battlefield; it didn't seem that there was one flat spot on the entire moon. Royce had heard that Menae had been the final stand for the Turians during the Krogan Rebellion, where they held off the warlords and battlemasters of Tuchanka some 1400 years prior. That the Turians were once against fighting for their homeworld on the same battlefield against a relentless enemy was a sense of irony he doubt escaped the sons and daughters of Palaven. If he knew the Turians, based on the elite Blackwatch squad he had trained alongside with, the Turians would probably fight the Reapers and their forces down to the last man. Since their entire government was practically a martial dictatorship, with every Turian serving for at least a few years, Royce didn't doubt that there were old-timers who grabbed an old assault rifle or sniper rifle and plugged away at a few Husks and Cannibals, reliving the good old days while making their enemies pay. He only wished that Earth would receive the same enthusiasm when it came time to liberate their own world.

Two hours had passed and Asha held up a hand in a signal that resembling 'halt', and the Australian-born man quickly took a knee, his eyes trying to find any signs of life, either friend or foe. The Vanguard motioned for all of them to come up to her, and soon they were on line and staying low, each trying to discern what it was the Asari wanted them to stop for.

"The Outpost that the Gunnery Chief identified should be seen as soon as we crest this next hill." Asha T'vara told them, keeping her voice low. Royce did a quick check on his Omnitool and saw that Outpost 39 was a little less than 400 meters away, being obscured from their sight by a shallow hill that they happened to be at the base at. "As soon as we get over that elevation, we should be in sight of it, as well as being in sight of their snipers. I recommend that Tech Specialist Korvan take the lead for the last leg. Us being led by a Turian will make us look more like allies, and less likely to be shot at by a soldier who undoubtedly highly agitated and possibly very stressed out."

"Makes sense to me." The N6 said, looking to Elias, who nodded his consent. "This outpost is expectin' humans, so me walkin' alongside him shouldn't be alarmin' to them, either. My men may be there; I didn't see any crashed Kodiaks along the way. Let's go up to the door and knock."

"Agreed." Asha inputting, while the Krogan only nodded; it was their only real plan of action, anyhow. Together, they crested the hill, Elias and Royce walking side-by-side with a few meters in between them, while the Krogan and Asha walked behind them, a few meters back as well. The hill, thankfully, was of a shallow slope, and took little time conquering it as the four of them reached the top and saw the Outpost for themselves.

"Oh, no." Elias muttered as soon as they saw it.

"Son of a _bitch!_" Royce swore immediately after.

The Outpost, what Alliance Command called Outpost 39, had been attacked, and attacked heavily. The metal walls that once surrounded the location for protection had been defeated, several sizable holes punched through the fortifications. The catwalks that manned the walls were empty of life, and none of the towers seemed to have anyone on duty. The few heavy support guns that weren't obviously wrecked at a distance were alone, with neither Turian or Human to use them. It only took a few seconds for the assessment to be reached by all of them; the Outpost had been overrun.

"Let's check it for supplies and intel." Royce said, sighing in frustration. "They may have bugged out once they realized that they weren't going to repulse the Reapers. Perhaps we can find where they relocated to. Maybe they left some gear behind we can use. At the least, they have a comm tower that seems to be still standin'." The N6 saw the short, stubby antenna that would reconnect them to the network of either the Alliance Command or the Turian Hierarchy. "If we can get that up and runnin' even for a few minutes, perhaps we can find a spot where we can do some real damage."

"I like the sound of that." The Krogan muttered, probably the longest unnecessary sentence the Human had heard from the merc in a while. The four of them entered the Outpost through one of the large holes in the wall, more than large enough to admit them. They had taken their time approaching the Outpost, and Royce wordlessly took the lead before they entered, pulling out his Scimitar in case of close combat. Its eight-round capacity would be more than enough for any Husks that happened to be nearby. He stood to one side of a hole, the Krogan taking the other side with his M76 Revenant ready. The Turian stood behind the Krogan with his Vindicator out, while Asha stood behind Royce with her M77 Paladin in one hand, and biotic energy glowing in the other. She tapped his knee with her one, indicating she was ready in the stack. Royce gave a nod, and together, both Human and Krogan entered the breech side-by-side Royce taking the left path while the Krogan took the right, their guns sweeping around as Elias and the Asari came up behind them, moving in between them in an offensive line.

Nothing moved; everyone was dead.

"Looks clear." Royce called out, looking over to his companions, whom agreed with him. None said a word about what they found, the sight before them as bad as they had ever seen. The Australian-born man had seen something like this before, on Eden Prime back in '83. Yet back then it hadn't been a real war; just a mission that involved Geth and Dragon's Teeth. The area had been a local one, only in the city of Discovery. Nowhere else in the colony had been hit, spared the destruction laid by Sovereign, Saren and his forces.

The difference on Menae was quite a good deal more sorrowful.

"Merciful Spirits…" Elias' subharmonics intoned as the Turian looked around, his mandibles dropping low at what he saw. Asha said something that didn't translate, probably a prayer in the Asari language. The Krogan merely grunted at what he saw. Royce merely shook his head at the sight.

Over one hundred Dragon's Teeth stood inside the defeated Outpost, spikes extended with a body impaled upon its length.

"God damn it." The N6 muttered under his breath, seeing well over one hundred bodies, Turian and Human, being Reaperfied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 6 - Knee-Deep In The Dead, Day 2

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason held his Scimitar to his shoulder, the butt firmly against the hollow as he pulled the trigger, the round spraying shaved particles of metal at hypervelocity at the head of a Turian that was in the process of being turned into a Marauder. The head turned into a bloody pulp as he moved to the next Dragon's Tooth, where a human was hanging suspended with the large metal spike piercing through his chest. Royce put a round through the human's head as well, moving onto the next Dragon's Tooth, finishing off another Turian. The Australian-born man heard the sound of the Krogan's M76 Revenant going to work, the mercenary doing the same thing he was. After seeing all the bodies suspended on the Reaper spikes, they had all agreed that it would be best to deal with the bodies now before they turned to Husks and Marauders. Elias found the comms tower and was working upon repairing it while Asha elected to check for supplies and equipment. The N6 went through his Dragon's Teeth at the same speed as the Krogan did, though no one could doubt that the merc had taken care of his Reaperfied troops; Royce's Scimitar would splatter a head, but the Krogan's Revenant would shred the entire body. It took some time before they went through all one-hundred and forty-seven bodies, each put down to keep them from coming back to haunt them, as it were. Royce grimaced as he shot the last one available to him, a human that had indeed been on his shuttle for the flight to the Outpost.

One hundred and twenty-five dead Turians. Twelve dead Humans.

The Dragon's Teeth weren't the only things representing the dead in Outpost 39. Strewn upon the ground were the bodies of Humans and Turians that had died from combat; how the ones on the spikes had been captured enmassed, Royce didn't know, but there were almost the same amount on the ground as there were on the Teeth. The Outpost probably had something close to three hundred fighters to it; some were patrollers, some were support, but all had a gun and all fought. The Australian-born man wondered if there were any who had left the Outpost on a routine mission or patrol and had yet to come back. He doubt he would ever find out if any had retreated or had been lucky enough to miss out on the massacre. At the least, Lieutenant Harbeck and his Kodiak weren't here, so it's possibly the the pilot was still alive, and maybe even got a few out. It was wishful thinking. Royce turned to see Asha approaching him, and the N6 tried to ignore the way her hips swayed as she walked; he was more professional than that.

"Mason. I'm… sorry about your men." The Asari said softly, and her face was obvious to tell that she meant the platitude. "I'm afraid I don't have any better words than that, but I can tell by your face that this was your platoon, your men." That had the Vanguard silent for a moment, looking up to some of the bodies that were impaled, and then the others that were strewn across the ground. Mixed among their bodies were Husks, Cannibals, Marauders, and two particularly large ones that none of them recognized. Royce took a gander over at the large beings, seeing how they were twice as tall him, easily. No weapons, save for their large size and the claws on the end of their hands. "Wish we could tell how long ago this was." The Asari mused, mostly to herself, though Royce overheard her.

"About three or four hours, gaugin' by the Husks." The N6 replied, getting Asha's attention. "I don't know how long it takes to turn a Turian into a Marauder, but I did learn how long it takes to make a Human a Husk on Eden Prime; about six hours. I guess they were about halfway done, so we probably missed out bein' slaughtered because of that group of Husks we ran into earlier. Lookin' at the amount of Reaper bodies around," Royce took a quick look on the ground, seeing the casualties, "they hit this place full force. Harvesters, ground troops, and probably quite a bit of them. Thousand strong, easily. This Outpost never stood a chance, and now we're standin' here, knee-deep in the dead."

"Not much in the way of supplies, not that I saw." Asha admitted, her mood forlorn. "I bagged up some spare thermal clips and picked up a few weapons that weren't too damaged, but it looks like this place was either cleared out, or that they threw everything at the assault. Knowing the Turians, and guessing at your platoon, I'm guessing the latter. This looks to be a last stand. Perhaps a few bugged out or were rescued, but I think they suffered at least ninety percent casualties, with close to half spiked on Teeth. Damn the Reapers." The Asari looked away, up to the planet of Palaven. "I… I have family on Palaven."

"Really?" That surprised Royce, until he remembered that the father of an Asari daughter could be of any race or gender. There were a lot of dark cracks on the promiscuity of Asari Maidens, though the N6 was more than wise enough not to bring it up. "Any word on your… father?" The Australian-born man wasn't sure what you would call a non-Asari female sire, but assumed that she would get what he was driving at.

"My father passed away decades ago from a good life lived long and well." Asha told him, a small smile playing on her blue lips. "I do have a nephew on Palaven though; he retired from a career in the military and is, _was_, caring for his baby grandson while his daughter deployed to the Reaper front. I haven't heard any news from them. I had originally come to Palaven to move my nephew and great-grandnephew to one of the colonies for their safety. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete my travels as my transport was damaged on my way here and was forced down on Menae."

"So you never learned of their fate." Royce reasoned, seeing the Asari slowly shake her head. "They the only family you got left?" That had the Vanguard looking to the burning planet, and though she never answered, the N6 had the answer to his question. "Can't say I know what that feels like; my family was killed back in '83. Mother, father, brother, and sister. I only survived because I was playin' out in the fields with the other kids and missed out on being like one of these poor guys." Royce jerked his head over to the Dragon's Teeth, indicating just what happened to his entire family. "So it was either an orphanage or the military for me. I chose the military."

"Wait… an orphanage? Playing with the other kids?" The biotic asked, looking to him curiously. "How old are you, Mason?"

"Nineteen, and the youngest N candidate to enter ICT." The Australian-born man replied, watching as the Asari looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth opening in surprise. "Yeah, I lied about my age, and got in a month before my sixteenth birthday. Military wasn't too happy when they learned my real age when I was in Rio, trainin' to be an N. Thankfully, my sponsor told them that it was too late; I was already in, and I had earned my way through. I was eighteen at the time, which is the minimum age for the Human military, so they thankfully didn't slap me with anything bad."

"You're… nineteen years old." Asha said slowly, as if in disbelief. "That means you were… fifteen during Eden Prime! Turians are just about to join their basic at that age! And you were being invaded?"

"Yep." The N6 replied, looking away for a moment. "Saw adults and kids slaughtered that day, the Geth didn't give shit about one's age. Saw a few kids my age spiked. I joined for revenge, thinkin' I'd be huntin' Geth. 'Course, I wasn't even outta Basic by the time the Battle of the Citadel was over, and the Geth mostly retreated back behind the Veil. Pissed me off some, but I found that I loved being a soldier. Guess I got my wish," Royce tossed his head up to the skies of Menae, where Reaper forces were orbiting both the moon and the Turian homeworld, "just not what I was expectin'."

"Amazing." Asha was quiet for a moment. "Be glad you weren't there for the Battle of the Citadel; I was on station during the attack, helping defend the citizens of the Citadel as the Geth took over the Presidium. It was beyond pandemonium; if it hadn't been for my biotics and a few Turian C-Sec officers that were snipers in the military, I would have been one of the casualties as well. Which would have been interesting, to say the least, considering who my grandnephew was."

"Dare I ask?"

"You're probably going to hate me for this," the Asari admitted slowly, her eyes on the ground, "but my father's last name, as was his brothers', is Arterius." That had the Australian-born made do a double-take; he only knew of one Turian with that last name…

"Your grandnephew is _Saren Arterius_?" Royce asked, disbelieving, almost unable to comprehend. "The Turian that started all of this?"

"Yes." Asha replied, with a good deal of sorrow in her voice, holding herself as she looked away. "You never met him, so you wouldn't understand it when I say that the monster that attacked the Citadel, that brought a Reaper, that commanded the Geth, was not the same child or man that I knew from before." She looked back at him, and Royce saw that the Vanguard was fighting off tears. "He had no love for humans, not after he lost his brother in Shanxi, but if you had met him before, you would know that he would have done nothing of the sort. He was the youngest Specter, and the pride of his race. And then something happened, something that made him start walking a different, darker path. I don't know when it began, exactly, but sometime about fifteen years before the Battle of the Citadel, he started becoming different in subtle ways. He began completing missions that had property damage, and then collateral damage. He became ruthless, driven; not at all the little boy I remembered help raising when his mother died due to sickness." Asha was silent for a moment, her face drifting back to Palaven, seeing it burn. "And if you think the grief that I bear for my family for having a traitor amongst its members, you have no idea what his sister is going through, if she still lives."

"I didn't realize Saren had a sister." The N6 replied softly, feeling strangely disturbed by what he had been told. Saren, an enemy of humanity after the attack on Eden Prime, Noveria, Feros and the Citadel, was once a normal man; a Turian among Turians. Of course Royce knew what indoctrination was; all the N's had learned of it after Commander Shepard's reports. Thinking of the man as, well, someone like him who had been twisted and turned into a traitor… that thought gave him pause. "That great-grandnephew that you were goin' to rescue? Is that her child?"

"Yes, that is Vona Arterius' son. His name is Vidkin." Asha answered, her voice subdued. "That poor child will be tormented for all his days because of his uncle, just because he shares his last name. He would be better off being barefaced than being an Arterius."

"Why doesn't he, I dunno, change his name?" Royce suggested. "Or can Turians even do that?"

"Ha!" Asha sniffed and laughed, the threat of tears finally defeated. "Two words, my human friend; Turian pride. That boy will take that name and shoulder it to the end of his days, unbowed and unbroken, just like his mother and his grandfather. He'll probably push himself so hard to do something so amazing on the chance of clearing the Arterius name. Turians are like that."

"Humans can be, too." The Marine admitted, nodding his head. "You didn't have to tell me that, Asha, and you took a chance with it. So, I appreciate it, and I don't hold it against you, Vanguard T'vara." Royce was quiet for a moment, looking up to Palaven as well. "Sometimes it is good to know that our enemies were once… well, I was going to say _human_, but I think you know what I mean." To that, the biotic nodded her head slowly.

"I do." Asha replied. "The moment we act like our enemies, is the day we become our enemies."

"Sun Tzu. Very appropriate." Royce applauded, nodding his head. "I didn't know you studied human philosophy."

"I… didn't. That was Matriarch Merythia." The Vanguard explained, a little surprised. "A human wrote that, too?"

"'_Art of War'_, written about twenty-five hundred years ago." Royce looked up to the Turian-Reaper forces as they duked it out in the skies of Palaven. "Wonder what he would of thought about _them_. All our military tactics and thought are based off of his work; know thy enemy, do what the enemy least expects, never repeat a plan. Turians would enjoy it, I'm sure. Might learn a thing or two."

"Innovative thinking is definitely needed in this fight." Royce found that Asha's gaze lingered upon him, and he briefly wondered if that was just his imagination or not. "You seem to be a very capable man, Gunnery Chief Royce Mason. I, for one, am grateful that we had come across one another. In times like these, it is good to have allies… and friends."

The look that the Asari gave him had Royce wondering if she considered him a friend, and what that meant to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 7 - Two Minutes 'Till Midnight, Day 2 Early evening

Gunnery Chief Royce Mason and the unnamed Krogan mercenary had finished compiling all the supplies that they had found in Outpost 39, the majority of it being unused thermal clips, with a smattering of grenades, weapons, tech programs, and support items also available. The Asari Vanguard, Asha T'vara, was already loading a good deal of spare thermal clips into small packs that the each of them were going to carry, making sure that they would have plenty of ability to fire their weapons. They had loaded up on some secondary weapons as well save Royce himself, who was already seven weapons on him, and had little space to add more armament. Instead, he loaded up on more grenades, taking a handful of thermal incendiaries, as well as some flashbangs, connecting to the sides of his legs and forearms. The Krogan merc seemed more interested in heavy weaponry, no real surprise, picking through weapons that were either high-capacity or damaging as hell. In addition to the M76 Revenant already on his back, the Krogan picked up a Turian T24 Phaestron and a M24 Katana. The merc completely ignored the sniper rifles, pistols, and submachine guns that were available, only pack on extra thermal clips. Asha herself took another Tempest and Paladin, while Tech Specialist Elias Korvan picked up one of the new M22 Eviserators to supplement his hardware, working with his Omnitool to install more programs after taking on another one from another Turian who had fallen.

"So, any luck with the comms?" Royce asked the Turian Engineer, hefting his pack that was loaded with more thermal clips and grenades. "Get ahold of anyone out there?"

"Yes." Elias' flanging voice replied, the subtle tone of enjoyment noticeable even to the Human. "It took some work, but I was able to boost a signal to Turian Command. It seems that the Hierarchy and your Systems Alliance are embroiled on all sides, and are seeking any assistance and aid they can get. When I described to them our… team composition, they seemed not to care. I think that they are that desperate, and we now have a mission, as well as a location."

"As long as it eventually gets me off this blasted moon, I'll kill whatever is put in front of me." The Krogan merc stated simply, and no one doubted him. "Where to, Turian?" Royce noticed that the merc never identified any of them by name; to him, they were simply their species. Perhaps it was a survival trait for mercenaries; keeping people at least at arms' distance in case one day you found yourself facing one another on opposite sides. Then again, he was a Krogan, and they were always a prickly bunch.

"Both Hierarchy and Alliance wants us at a particular forward operating base, where they need to send supplies and equipment to some firebases." The Engineer explained. "The good news is that they're sending us a shuttle for pick up, so no more walking."

"That is good news." Asha said, looking to Royce. "Any more walking, and the Reapers will have taken over before getting to the next hotspot."

"Yeah… but here comes the bad news." The Australian-born man replied, expecting as much. "I'm practically chompin' at the bit on how ridiculous it's going to be."

"Well… we're having some others join our little team." Elias told them, looking at little amused. "From what I understand, they're a lot like us; a bunch of refugee warriors lumped together out of necessity. They are currently under the command of a Turian who was once a mercenary Captain, and they are… ahem," the Engineer paused, looking at Royce after a quiet moment, "we are all to be placed under your command… Lieutenant Mason."

"Lieutenant?" The N6 asked, a little surprised. "Alliance promotion on the field? That doesn't bode too well. They must be desperate."

"I guess, considering it comes from the Hierarchy as well." The Turian explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Our squad is going to be doing a convoy security run that sounds like it is in desperate need. And, by convoy security…"

"We're bait and reinforcements, rolled into one." Royce finished, getting a nod from the Tech Specialist. The Asari looked a little surprised, though the Krogan seemed to take it as a matter of fact. "That's what convoy security usually means in a hot zone, Asha; the supplies are probably more important than we are, so we're going to hit whatever might attack it, and do our best to lead it away. Good thing we got more weapons and clips. When's the pick-up, Elias?"

"ETA's in about ten minutes. Alliance shuttle, a Kodiak, if I remember the designation correctly." The Engineer replied. "The rest of the news on the moon sounds bad, though. Doesn't seem like anyone's holding out well. Anyone that is making dents in the ground forces finds a Reaper dropping on their heads, all tentacles blazing. The losses are staggering, and I didn't even get a chance to get an update on the air war." They didn't need it, all they had to do was to look in the Menae sky and the space in between it and Palaven to see the sight of ship debris and burning vessels as the Turian Fleet took on the Reapers. It wasn't going well at all. When Royce had first entered the Trebin System, he knew that the Turians had lost a third of their Dreadnaughts, and half of their Cruisers. God knew how many Frigates, Fighters, Bombers, and other vessels had been lost to the Reapers. Indeed, it looked to be two minutes 'till midnight for Palaven and the Turians.

And if the Turians fell, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that the galaxy would soon be sure to follow.

The four of them waited for the shuttle as Royce chewed on his own thoughts, thinking of what the Turian had told him. That he had gotten promoted out on the field wasn't exactly surprising to him; there was a war going on, and people moved up to replace those lost, or those who showed extraordinary skill were pushed up in the hopes that bigger meant better, and that luck would hold. The Australian-born man had joined the N school as a buck Chief Petty Officer, and completion of the ICT in Rio had him meteoritical rising through the ranks, as most N's did. That he got his commission in just over a year wasn't surprising. His first taste of true command had only been a few days before, when he had arrived on Menae, in charge of a 20-man squad of Marines. Unfortunately, second mission out, and he was bodily ejected from the shuttle, and now all his men were dead. There wasn't much he could do about it, except work harder to be better, to keep that from happening again. If the Reapers would cooperate, at least.

Now he was in charge again. Of aliens, at that.

The Krogan merc grunted as he nodded his head to a portion of the sky, catching the Human's attention. The N6 looked and saw what appeared to be a Kodiak coming there way, flying low and fast. Royce rallied the others towards a mostly cleared-off patch of real estate outside of the Outpost, the debris small and the corpses belonging only to the enemy. The shuttle quickly grew larger, and Royce saw that it was indeed a Kodiak, and a UT-47A; meant to be a stealth insertion craft against electronic sensors, and armed with Rosenkov cannons and two chainguns mounted inside the belly to deploy to the sides. It was a Systems Alliance ship, with the blue paint and white symbol easy to see. It was also easy to see the battle-damage it had taken; pot-shots, a few dents and dings, one or two scorch marks, and what looked to be a rather impressive crunch just aft of the left cargo door. The shuttle landed a few meters away, the port door opening for ingress. Royce looked to the others and nodded them in; Asha and Elias went in first, and the Krogan took his sweet time pushing his bulk through the door, seemingly still deciding if he wanted to be led by a human or not. The newly-promoted Lieutenant jumped in last and went to pat the pilot to let him know that they were good to go.

Royce was dealt a small shock when he saw who the pilot was.

"Harbeck?" The Australian-born man asked, surprised to see the man still behind the helm of the shuttle. It wasn't the same that he had been on the previous day; that one hadn't been a UT-47A, and the Harvester had hit the rear port engine pretty good. "That you, Jeff?"

"Son of a bitch, you N's are as hard as cockroaches to kill!" The Texan pilot said, looking back to Royce with a smile. "Who else can get chucked out of a bird by a Harvester and come back pissed off? Thought Husks were going to have to scrape your ass off the farm, Royce. Next time you want to do an airborne jump or orbital drop, let me know so I don't have a heart attack!"

"I'll mention it the next time I'm fallin'." The N6 replied sarcastically. "Go ahead and take us to our next location, flyboy. I guess Human and Turian Brass wants us to go and get our ass shot off."

"Will do… Loot." The Texan said with a crooked grin, hitting the intercom button that would announce his voice to all the passengers in the Kodiak. "Good evening, ladies and germs. This is your pilot, Lieutenant Harbeck, speaking. Everyone clamp down and shut up, as we will be flying through some heavy turbulence and warzones. Keep the bitching and the barfing down, and if I hear one goddamn complaint about my flying, you will be walking. Any questions? No? Thank you for choosing Alliance Air; depositing your ass in alien-infested shitholes since 2157."

"Not amusing!" Elias called out as the shuttle blasted upward, the vessel shaking as it spun and began to accelerate upward and outward, heading towards the FOB that the Human and Turian Command had wanted them at as Royce himself took a seat, not wanting a repeat of last time. He took the shuttle chair beside Asha T'vara, pushing down the rollbar that would keep him from flying about in case of an accident, and he found himself the host of two sky blue eyes as the Asari looked at him for a quiet moment as the Kodiak sped off towards their next destination.


	8. Chapter 8

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 8 - With Friends Like These… Day 2 Nighttime

The Kodiak rumbled as it touched down by the Forward Operating Base, the hastily-erected encampment looking as if it had once been a gutted military complex that had been blasted to hell and back. Defensive walls that had survived whatever critical hit the original building had taken were repaired and upgraded, with two dozen turrets manning the perimeter while shuttles and ships moved in and out. The sound of gunfire was nearly constant as several of the turrets were actively defending the FOB in three different directions, soldiers adding their supporting fire to the hot zones. Lieutenant Royce Mason had taken the opportunity to activate one of the shuttle's support guns, the chain gun sticking out of the opened starboard-side door. The N6 wasted no time manning the turret and begin pour supportive fire in aid for the FOB, unleashing a storm of mass-accelerated lead towards a large group of Husks and Marauders that were currently assaulting what appeared to be the east side of the FOB. His shots were dead-on, though the group appeared to be at least two hundred strong, and no great amount of accuracy was needed as the chaingun whirred to life, spitting out death at the Reaper forces. Husks and Marauders were chewed up by the chainguns' volley of misery and death as the Royce whittled down the crowd for the defenders as the Kodiak flew by the attack.

Things must be bad if Harbeck didn't give him a chance to kill some more Reapers, the Australian-born man thought to himself.

The UT-47A landed in a bare space big enough for the shuttle, no real Landing Zone being displayed; evidently, ships landed wherever they wanted. Royce didn't miss the sight of several fighters, bombers, and shuttles that didn't make a safe landing, one or two having crashed in the FOB itself. The base was populated with Turians and Humans, though the sons of Palaven by far represented more for the fight than did the sons of Earth. Still, it gave the N6 some hope to see their two species working together; only twenty-eight years prior, they had been fighting a war against one another. It didn't even take the Reapers to have them working together; Humanity and Turians had some cordial relationships before, with joint military exercises, shared patrol routes, and interspecies missions against pirates and slavers. With the coming of the Reapers, and their homeworlds threatened, Turian and Human relations vastly improved immediately, and each species found themselves aiding the other; Human supplementing Turian forces while Turian merchant ships were taking on Human refugees trying to escape the Reapers that were heavy throughout System Alliance space.

The four of them exited the shuttle, Royce stepping out of the Kodiak first, with the Asari Vanguard, Turian Engineer, and Krogan mercenary following him. The N6 pulled up his Omnitool to see where his destination was, finding it to be in a container that was being used as both a command post and shelter. The newly-promoted Lieutenant led his group through the FOB, moving around shelters and running soldiers until they reached what looked to be a shipping container at one point in peaked his head in, and saw a Turian working a display, a holographic representation of the area around the FOB. The N6 could see that the FOB was displayed as a blue dot, with green dots representing friendly forces, and red dots as the Reapers. It sadly looked to be a blue island in the middle of a red ocean, with green spots surrounded. _If that's the situation we're in…_ Royce thought to himself, grimacing as he knocked on the side of the metal command bunker, getting the Turians' attention.

"Hi. Lieutenant Royce Mason." The Australian-born man identified himself to the Turian. "Was suppose to meet someone here."

"Yes. Lieutenant." The Turian tore his eyes from the map, giving the Human an obvious once-over. "I'm General Jorval, and I am in need of your help." The Turian beckoned Royce to the map, and the N6 complied. "Our ground forces are stretched too far and too thin across most of our fronts, and reinforcements are hard to come by." The General explained, a talon indicating a few hot spots for the Human. "While we still got the manpower, what we are short of right now are emergency supply drops and firefighters. Our forces are running low on thermal clips and medigel, and are also in need of basic necessities, such as food, water, and weapons. Unfortunately, every supply drop and convoy we send is heavily attacked, and either end up needing the supplies themselves, or don't make it."

"Ok. What makes us different?" Royce asked, curious. He knew where this was going.

"We… need you as security, and as bait." The Turian General said simply, his body language indicating that he wasn't going to soften the blows; Royce could get behind a guy who accepted hard truths. "The Reapers are either predicting our movements, or we have a mole within our ranks. Either will be easy to figure out, but we need someone to go out there and get shot at. That will be you, Lieutenant."

"Joy."

"Come, we'll meet the rest of your team."

Lieutenant Royce Mason followed the Turian General as they walked from the bunker he was using to another part of the encampment, Asha, Elias, and the merc following behind him as they found themselves entering what appeared to be a bombed-out building. The metal walls were crumpled in certain spots, and the ceiling was completely gone. General Jorval slid through the opening of the building, Royce right behind him as he saw that the buildings' only room was already occupied by more than a few people. A quick looked showed the Australian-born man two Turians, one male, the other a female, a male Salarian, a male Batarian, a Human female, and a female Quarian. As the General, Royce, and his team entered the building, the six who were already there turned to face them, and there was no friendship lost between the separate races. Royce wasn't even to sure that the human female, an Alliance Navy woman in light Phoenix Armor, was happy to see him. The sight of so many races working together would be almost as much an accomplishment as beating the Reapers. And he was in charge of all this?

"Bah, another Human." The Batarian spoke up first, dismissing the four who entered the building immediately, turning his four eyes away from who had entered. "Where were your people when the Reapers were invading Khar'shan?"

"Accedin' to your wishes, Blinky; staying the fuck out of your space." Royce moved closer to the Batarian with a smile, immediately throwing out his cockiness and bravado for all to see. "Enough pirate raids and slave runs, and we got the message that you didn't want us around. Congrats, slug; alienate people long enough, and you find yourself alone when you need them, and you've got no one else but your Homogeny to thank for that."

"My name," the Batarian turned, each of his four eyes murderous as his deep, two-toned voice was filled with threat and violence, "is Garm Jor'radah, Commander of the _Jeve'nel_ Special Intervention Unit. You, monkey, are beneath me." Royce knew of the SIU; the Batarian version of the N school… if the N school trained slavers and pirates. It was pretty much common knowledge to most sentient beings that a Batarian outside of Homogeny space was a merc, pirate, or slaver on the Homogeny payroll. Of course, those were the only ones that the Batarian government ever let out, too.

"Commander? Is that what they tell overseers and slave masters to call themselves, now?" The Australian-born man asked with some humor in his voice as he crossed his arms over his chest. "The tough guy act might work on plebs with control chips injected into their brain stems, but us free people aren't nearly as impressed. Maybe if you realized that you're just as much a slave to your government as your slaves were to you, you might realize that we could use some of your tactics and training on our side to beat the Reapers, as oppose to listenin' to your stupid superiority-complex dialectic."

"My money's on the Batarian." The unknown male Turian said to Elias, his voice low but audible enough to be heard by everyone in the building. "SIU doesn't make them weak.

"Hmm. Neither does the N School. Plus, I've seen Mason fight. 50 credits on the Marine." The Tech Specialist said, keying up his Omnitool, obviously placing the bet. Without a word or indication, everyone took a few respectful steps back, clearing out the center of the bombed-out building for an impromptu fight ring as Human and Batarian pulled off their many weapons, setting them beside the crowd. Though no one knew or trusted anyone else, it seemed that they had the sense to see what appeared to be two alpha dogs duking it out to see who came out on top. At the very least, they would watch a good fight.

Without a word or indication, it was on.

The Batarian, the one who identified himself as Commander Garm Jor'radah, came in first, fists held forward at ramming speed as Royce gave a small jump forward, bringing his elbow down. Though the Batarian managed to get him in a tackling position, the Australian brought his elbow down right on top of the Batarians' head, smashing it downward at the same time the Marine brought up his right knee. The Batarian cried out twice; the first time when his head was smashed downward by Royce's elbow drop, and the second time when the Commander's face bounced off the Human's armored knee. Royce watched as Garm's head went up for a second, all four of his eyes shut on instinct as the Marine cocked his left fist and drove it forward, rolling his shoulder and pushing through the punch as his gauntleted knuckles cracked against the portion of the Batarian's face that would have been his nose if he had been human. The Batarain's head went back with a snap, his arms flailing as he fell backwards, crashing into the ground a few feet away, almost knocking into the Salarian. It took a few seconds for Garm's eyes to open up, blinking rapidly to regain his awareness as he stiffly tried to get up, obviously in a good deal of pain.

"Are you going to waste that fight on me?" Royce asked, dropping his hands, letting his opponent know that he was willing to stop the fight before it got out of hand. "Or are you going to use that anger and rage against a real enemy? I'd rather kill Reapers, and I don't mind fightin' alongside a Batarian to do so."

"You want… my help?" The four-eyed man asked as he got up, his body doing so in small jerks; obviously, Royce had hurt him pretty good. "You think I would help you?" Though the Batarians' tone was filled with anger, there was confusion there, too. Maybe Garm thought he hadn't heard right.

"You won't win Khar'shan back beatin' me up now, will you?" The Marine stated simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Can't help you do so if you beat me to death, either. We work separately, Reapers win. We work together, we give the Reapers somethin' to worry about." Royce took a step forward, offering his hand to the Batarian, giving him the chance not only to help him up, but also partnership. "Reapers don't care who we are, or where we're from. They don't care about our history or our past. They don't care about the number of eyes or fingers we've got. They want us dead; simple as that. You want to end up as a Husk or some DNA soup? Or do you want to make those bastards pay?"

"I want them to _pay_." Garm said, slowly taking the Human's hand, in which the N6 pulled the SIU operative to his feet. "I want those bastards to burn, like Khar'shan burns." The Batarian looked at Royce with his four eyes, none of them moving or blinking; each of them _looking_ at the Australian, studying him. "Do you mean it, Human? About Khar'shan?"

"Absolutely." The newly-promoted Lieutenant replied, telling the truth, his tone indicating so. "Earth is under attack, yet I'm here on Menae, fightin' alongside Turians. We'll need their help to liberate our world. You'll need our help to liberate yours. Salarians are going to need the Asari, and the Asari are going to need the Krogan, so on and so forth. We have a sayin' on Earth; _united we stand, divided we fall_. Now, more than ever, we need to stand together. Use each other's strengths, help supplement our weaknesses. Hell yes, I'll fight alongside a Batarian. You don't see the Reapers fighin' against one another, do you?"

The words had their intended effect on the others standing in the building; everyone was silent, yet it was only words that wasn't being heard. The three Turians looked to one another, and then to the others. The Quarian's visor was staring straight at the Asari. Salarian and Krogan even exchanged glances. With just a few sentences, Lieutenant Royce Mason knew he had the others where he wanted them; fighting against something else other than each other. Together, they were a time bomb waiting to explode on one another… or an orgy of violence just waiting to visit upon someone else. The Marine aimed for the later.

"So, who's up for a little violence and destruction?" Royce asked the others with a smile, all the while thinking, _with friends like these, who needs enemies?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 9 - Abandon All Hope, Day 3 Early morning

Lieutenant Royce Mason rotated his neck to one side, trying to get the crick out of his neck as he looked at his ten-men squad that he already called _the Chaos Legion_, designating his call sign as _Chaos 6_; a command element in Alliance Jargon. Normally, there would be more of a Chain-of-Command to a squad of ten; team leaders and such, yet the Marine knew nobody else save Elias, Asha, and the krogan, and even they he didn't know well enough to start throwing them together with other species. They had gotten some rest during the night, their mission not for several hours, and Royce had spent the time at least getting the names of his new squad. Along with the Krogan merc, Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, and the Asari Vanguard Asha T'vara, the human Marine had two more Turians, a Salarian, a Quarian, a Batarian, and a female Human to his roster. Each looked capable in their own right, though Royce had some misgivings at first.

First, there were the Turians. The male one called himself Captain Preitor Gavorn, which was his rank when he was with the Blue Suns on Omega. The Australian-born man found out that the Turian was once part of a Task Force to deal with the stations' Vorcha problems, and had answered to the Pirate Queen Aria T'loak herself. Thankfully, the Turian mercenary was once a soldier in the Hierarchy, and had little issues with Royce leading him. Surprisingly, Preitor seemed to have little issues with a human leading him; it seemed that losing 50 credits on the fight had showed the former merc that the N6 wasn't small potatoes. For the female Turian, she turned out to be an Infiltrator; one of Palaven's Blackwatch commandos. She had identified herself as Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona, though never gave her family name. Royce was about to ask, when Asha suddenly popped up, placing a gentle hand on the Marine's shoulder, nodding to him in a significant way. Royce looked from the female Turian to the Asari Vanguard, and had remembered what Asha had told him before.

He was standing in front of Vona Arterius; Saren's sister.

Next was a Salarian, a quintessential example of his species. Tall, thin, and nervous-looking, the Salarian was dry-washing his hands as he rambled off his name. Royce had to ask for it three times before he gave up trying to figure it out. As best as he could understand, the Salarian was some sort of independent researcher, whose name was _JaleelNisusesBenVaresTolIngreeChorban_… or so the Australian thought. The Salarian stood there for three or four seconds silently, and then told him '_just Chorban_'. Royce wasn't too sure about the Salarian; at least both of the Turians were armed with impressive weaponry. All the researcher had was some light Hydra Armor and a M4 Shuriken. The researcher began fiddling with his Omnitool, and Royce heard a ping on his own. When he went to check it, he was surprised to find that the Salarian had just forwarded him biometric data on all the people in the Chaos Legion, as well as a tracking system for all of them. A Tech expect apparently already on Palaven when the Reapers came, the N6 thought, nodding slowly. Always handy.

Royce found himself meeting the only other human in the group, a Senior Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino. An Alliance Marine like himself, Chief Valentino was a mixed blessing; she was a Sentinel, a human born with Biotics, and savvy with electronics and technology. Sentinels, Royce knew, were a strange sort of powerhouse, good for wearing down an enemies' shields and using their Biotics to enhance their own combat. Unfortunately, Sentinels were generally not much good at any range other than very close. Still, a Sentinel and and another Human wasn't too bad. She told him how she ended up on Menae; same story as him, caught outside Earth during the Reaper attack, now fighting for their allies on the chance they'll join forces. The Australian-born man whispered to her that he'd have a private talk to her later, away from 'so many ears', and Chief Valentino was wise enough to nod discretely before he moved on.

There was, of course, the Batarian SIU operative, Commander Garm Jor'radah. The Blink was probably a pirate or a slaver, but Royce had to admit that went it came to working outside the law and staging raids, the slug was probably one of the best. From what little was confirmed about the Special Intervention Unit, what wasn't assumed to be lies from the Homogeny, was that the training was quite brutal, and one out of five died in its courses. From the times he had fought against Batarians, the Marine knew that they were usually quite fanatical, almost to the point of suicidal, when it came to fighting for their lives. It was often said that the only time you would see a Turians' back was when he was dead, but Royce thought that the saying applied better to the Batarians; they were usually brainwashed to believe that they had better training, better equipment, and were the better species. The Lieutenant looked once at Garm and nodded his head once at the operative, still seeing hate in the four eyes. He also did see something else; grudging respect. Batarians were like Krogan; they always followed the dominate Alpha. Royce was just glad he didn't have to fight the Krogan merc. With his homeworld gone, it was obvious the Batarian had nowhere else to go.

That left the Quarian.

As the Australian-born man approached the fully-suited female Quarian, he tried to think of all he knew of the people of Rannoch. He knew they were born on ships, grew up on ships, and would die on ships. They were renowned for their programming and technical skills. Yet as Royce approached her, the first thing he noticed was that she was glowing… blue. Her suit was mostly black with a grey visor, to where all he could see was her silvery-glowing eyes, yet the female was definitely glowing bluish. It took a moment of disbelief to pass to realize that she was, in fact, a Quarian Biotic; was that even possible? She told him though her helmets' vocalizer that her name was Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia. Royce paused for a second after she told him her name. Vas Thessia? Evidently, she had been sent to the Asari homeworld to teach her how to use her Biotics, since the Quarians themselves couldn't afford the implant, the amp, or the training. Her Patron has been an Asari who once had a mate who was a Quarian, and wanted to give Eloa the opportunity to learn. When the Migrant fleet recalled all Pilgrims and asked for the Quarians to return, the Adept had left Thessia to aid her people. Unfortunately, the Reapers had sidelined her trip in the Apien Crest, and she was now stuck like the rest of them.

And Royce was stuck with the lot of them.

General Jorval came, and Lieutenant Royce Mason stood up, looking to his new squad, who were readying their armor and weapons, or in Chorban's case, fiddling with Omnitools. The Turian General only nodded to the Australian once, indicating it was time. The N6 had already described the mission to his new squad, and though none of them enjoyed the thought of being put on what was obviously a dangerous, probably lethal, mission, they all knew that they were guests of the Turian Hierarchy. Nothing was forcing the Turians to feed them, arm them, supply them, or protect them. It was their moon, and their rules. If the Turians wanted them to guard the walls, they would have no choice but to guard the walls. At the least, Royce explained, they were out to do some damage; they would be taking the fight to the Reapers. There were plenty of Turians who were doing nothing more than slugging it out on the ground, not knowing if they would ever be resupplied, replaced, or killed in the next few minutes.

On Menae, everyone was living on borrowed time, anyhow, and they all knew it.

Royce led his Chaos Legion to the Alliance UT-47a, Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck going over last minute systems checks while a Turian Quartermaster was loading what appeared to be old-tech rocket pods onto the side of the shuttle. The side door was opened already as the shuttle pilot looked up from his datapad to the N6 who was leading his ragtag group to the Kodiak.

"Mason. Still babysitting?" Harbeck asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked over the new occupants of his shuttle. The pilot's eyes got wider at the sight of a Batarian getting on the the shuttle; everyone else got the standard 'WTF' look, but the SIU operative got the special treatment. Harbeck looked to Royce for a second, the Marine giving the pilot a silent shrug. "So. Battle wagon of death mission?"

"Yep." Royce confirmed, a quaint term indicating that the shuttle was, more or less, a moving target to give others a chance of success. "I take you to all the classy places. Standard order of business for you; the crazier you fly, the better our chances."

"Got, _jefe_." Lieutenant Harbeck gave off a lazy salute, nodding his head to the shuttle. "Go ahead and get in, and we'll be off in a minute. Mission starts in ten. And strap in, this time?" The pilot half-pleaded, smacking the marine on his bicep. "Humans ain't so dime-a-dozen anymore. Not with the Reapers here to kill us all."

"Crikey. Didn't know you cared." Royce replied a little solemnly. He never thought how pilots must have felt flying men off on missions, only to find their bays half-full after a mission, or worse. Harbeck probably felt just as bad as he did about what happened to his platoon back on Outpost 39. "Got a bloody good team of boondockers here, if we don't kill each other first. But no promises; you know the rule."

"Yeah. _Abandon all hope, all ye who enter_." Harbeck replied softly, a sort of saying that the Marine had taken to say ever since the invasion of Earth a few weeks before. It was both a mantra and a prospect; get your affairs in order, do what needs to get done, chances are that you might not get another opportunity. The Australian nodded his head once as he entered the shuttle, and saw that most had taken their seat in the shuttle save for the Asari Vanguard, Asha T'vara. She stood by the opened door, and as soon as he stepped on, he saw her give him a small smile.

"Interesting saying." The Asari said as Royce turned to see that Jeff Harbeck was getting into the cockpit of the shuttle himself. "More Sun Tzu?"

"Dante Alligheri, book called '_Inferno_'." The N6 answered, looking to the Asari. "Poet gets a trip to Heaven, but has to walk through Hell first." Royce explained as he pulled the Avenger off his back, checking it though there was no real need. "On the road to Hell, paved with good intentions and dumbass mistakes, there is a sign. On the sign reads '_abandon all hope, all ye who enter'." _The Marine, looked out the open shuttle door, seeing the activity of the FOB as other shuttles and flyers got ready as well; a few were a part of the diversion, while others were the real deal. Royce didn't know which was which, which was the point. If someone was talking, willingly or not, they would either identify themselves or give off the wrong coordinates. Either way would spotlight them. "To us Marines, it means do today what you would have done tomorrow. There might not be many more for us." Royce looked over the FOB to see Palaven either rising or setting on the moon's horizon, a small sliver to its normally large presence. Even with its lesser view, the newly-promoted Lieutenant could see damage and destruction on the Turians' homeworld, its surface dotted and littered with fires. Asha spied what the Marine was looking at, only punctuating his point. Royce felt a gentle hand on his bicep, and he looked over to see that the Vanguard had placed her hand there; as comfort or reassurance, he wasn't sure.

"As long as we hold the will to fight, then the battle can still be won." The Asari replied, looking at him with eyes the color of Earth's sky. "There's still hope, Royce, as long as the will to fight is still there. But your Dante has truth in his words; tomorrow isn't always guaranteed, so it is best to accomplish today what you can." To that, Royce felt a soft squeeze on his bicep from the Asari's hand. It hadn't been a figment of his imagination, then.

"_Alright, ladies and germs._" Harbeck called out, his voice coming over the shuttles' intercom system to address everyone in the shuttle's cargo area. "_If y'all would observe the 'sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up' light, and please keep all limbs in the shuttle at all times, _Lieutenant.' Royce grimaced as a few chuckles were heard from the squad. "_And if any of you dumbfucks puke in my bird, you will be cleaning it. With your tongue. So buckle up your panties and whisper a prayer or two, because speed is set to splatter. And don't say shit about my music._"

"Charming fellow." Captain Preitor Gavorn said as Royce took as seat with Asha, the Turian mercenary told Commander Garm Jor'radah, the Batarian merely shrugging his shoulders. "I like him."

"Wait until he starts flyin'." The Marine said to the Turian who once worked on Omega. "He ain't kiddin' about the pukin' part."

A/N: Thanks to GethPrime89 for the review, and the term 'red shirt army'. I swear I'll use it somewhere.


	10. Chapter 10

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 10 - Human Shields, Day 3 Morning

The mission had kicked off a few minutes before, and everyone already knew that their feelings were correct; it had quickly become a clusterfuck. The shuttle was flying in formation with an attack shuttle, with two Turian APC's traveling along the ground underneath them. If any of them had any supplies, it would have been news to Lieutenant Royce Mason as he watched four other similar missions kick off at the same time. He knew instantly what it was; one mission was the right one, while the other four were simply patsies. Five different people were told five different things, and now it was up for the cannon fodder (i.e. _them_) to find out for the Hierarchy who was letting the enemy read their mail. All well and good if they caught the traitor or indoctrinated servant, but not so great for the cannon fodder.

Royce knew right then and there that they were a very expendable asset.

Their shuttle flew in the lead, with Captain Preitor Gavorn on the port-side chaingun, and Commander Garm Jor'radah on the starboard one. The Salarian researcher, Chorban of fifteen names, was working on both the shuttles' radar, as well as sitting in the co-pilots' seat, keeping in touch with the convoy. Royce had the three Biotics, Asha T'vara, Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino, and Eloa'Varis, sitting as far from one another on the shuttle, readying to throw a barrier on a portion of the shuttle as needed in case they were attacked by a Harvester… or something worse. Tech Specialist Elias Korvan and Vona Arterius were on stand-by for the chainguns; if the men manning them went down, or something was needed, they were to immediately assist. The Krogan merc merely sat in the middle of the shuttle, to provide any aid to someone who needed it. Royce himself had his eyes on everything, expecting to coordinate in case of an attack as they went to a fire base some forty kilometers west of the FOB. Normally, the Kodiak could have made it in less than ten minutes, but the Turian APC's, known as _Uvaks_, were more armor than speed, and had to fight through Menae's harsh terrain. A ten minute mission was now at least an hour.

The shuttle's pilot, Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck, flew low and erratically, the shuttle behind them taking the hint and doing the same. The Kodiak would fly at random altitudes, turning and banking without cause or reason. Anyone else would think the pilot drunk, but Harbeck had been doing air insertions and pick-ups for the Alliance for a few years, dropping off Marines into hotspots and then pulling their asses out. Royce didn't tell the pilot how to do his job; as long as they got there alive, the Marine could care less if Harbeck started doing barrel rolls and Crazy Ivans.

"Chorban, anything on the comms or the radar?" The N6 asked the Salarian through the commpiece that everyone shared a frequency with via their Omnitools. It had been his first order of business before they left for the mission, making sure they could talk to one another. Royce himself had comes with the shuttle leader for the shuttle behind him, as well as the truck commanders for each of the _Uvaks_ as well. The Salarian was undoubtedly monitoring the other frequencies, and probably a few other things to. The Marine had the sense that Chorban was just a little bit on the sneaky side when it came to tech; didn't bother him none, as long as it bought them time. In truth, there was not much considered illegal in warfare.

"_Nothing important so far."_ The researcher supplied, his fast voice making Royce wondering the Salarian had some ADHD; probably his entire race had it in one form or another. _"No unusual patterns on the radar. No unusual signatures or signals on the radio." _That had the Marine feeling a modicum amount better, until he tried calling for a status update and got nothing but static.

"Crikey." The Australian groused, shaking his head. The comms worked back on the FOB, but now they were shit, typical Murphy's Law; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong in the worst way possible. No comms with the other shuttle or the _Uvaks_ wasn't the worst thing possible, but not being able to talk to the others if they were attacked wasn't a good thing. Coordination was needed in case one of them was taking more of the attack, or one of them needed to be taking more of the attack. The last thing they needed to do was zig instead of zag and run into one another (for the shuttles) or to get into the line of fire of one of the _Uvaks_. The firebase was a remote spit of defended land that was the last of its kind; all others to the front and the flanks had fallen or had been abandoned, now an island in enemy territory. Their particular lift wasn't carrying supplies, the firebase was decently supplied for the men who still held it. Yet it seemed the most likely to be supplied, as it was also the furthest away and the deepest in enemy territory. Oh, they had some supplies; a few crates of clips and rations, but nothing substantial. They weren't the suppliers, yet Royce had the funny feeling that they truly were the bait. The radios being out could have meant anything, but if General Jorval was worried about someone leaking information or being indoctrinated, then it could be the sign he needed.

"Team, this is Chaos 6." The Marine said in his communicator, alerting everyone in his squad. "Communications are down, and given our mission, it is most likely that we'll be attacked enroute to the firebase, or while there. Everyone prepare yourselves in the best way possible." Royce found his gaze settling on the Vanguard Asha T'vara, who was sitting at the rear of the shuttle. Their eyes met for a moment, and neither pulled away for that moment. Neither said a word, yet it as if, for that moment, they could read each others' thoughts. That they would be attacked was inevitable; at the very least, some Reaper forces would interested in them. The difference would be how many the enemy would be, and how severe the attack would be. Looking at Asha, Royce couldn't but feel the beginning feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, different than what he felt every other time.

This was not the time for this, the Australian thought as Chorban began talking.

"_Lieutenant, we've got multiple signatures displaying on our radar."_ The Salarian told him, though his words spoke to everyone on the shuttle's comm system. _"Thermal signatures and size suggest multiple Harvesters are inbound, perhaps ten. Vector… at us."_

"Bloody hell." Royce muttered. "Preitor, Garm, get ready to start blastin'. Biotics, listen to Chorban as to direction of the attacks. I don't want you wastin' all your energy makin' barriers if they're not immediately needed." The Turian and the Batarian nodded, readying their guns as the Asari, Human and Quarian Biotic readied themselves. The N6 went over to the Krogan merc and tapped him on the shoulder, getting the merc's attention. Royce pointed to one of two roof hatches, and the Krogan smiled, knowing what the Marine suggested. Both merc and Marine unlatched the hatches and stood out of them, standing air guard for the shuttle. The Krogan had his Revenant out, while Royce took out his Avenger.

"_Ten seconds to contact, starboard side."_ Chorban told the shuttle's crew, and Royce looked to the right hand side, seeing not one, but three Harvesters baring down on them. The merc already had his Revenant aimed in that direction as Royce did the same with his Avenger. The starboard-side gun, manned by Captain Preitor Gavorn, already began to speak its long, loud roar as the Harvesters came into sight. The Human Marine and the Krogan mercenary added their own gunfire to the Turians', their shots hitting the lead Harvester. Rounds from the Minigun, the Revenant, and the Avenger began to impact against the large flying creature. The withering fire slowed the Harvester as it flew in closer, catching up to the Kodiak. The many rounds that perforated the Harvester caused it to roar in pain and frustration as it forced its way through the copious amount of gunfire, fighting against the tide of bullets. Several seconds of the onslaught brought the gigantic flying creature down, spiraling towards the moon's surface as Royce gave off a whoop of victory.

Then the Australian-born man saw the other two Harvester bearing in, and much closer to the shuttle than the first one.

"Preitor! Garm! Focus on the flyers!" The N6 called out over his comm, notifying the two door gunners as he reloaded his Avenger by ejecting a spent thermal clip and slapping in another. "Harbeck, fly zig-zag so we can bear down on both of them! Me and the big guy will annoy them!" The UT-47A began to swoop left and right as the Turian and the Batarian on the miniguns started to firing staccato at the two incoming Harvesters, Royce and the Krogan doing their best to make their own gunfire as effective as possible. The Marine was doing his best to hit the wings of one Harvester, the obvious weakness of a flying creature as he slapped in his fourth thermal clip into his Avenger, rocking the assault rifle at full auto, volume more effective than accuracy with such a foe. The Kodiak flew erratically, Lieutenant Harbeck making them as difficult as target as possible as the Harvester on the starboard side bore straight towards them, closing the gap quickly.

"Eloa! Asha! Barrier up, stern starboard side! We got incomin'!" Royce shouted into his communicator as he slapped another thermal clip into his assault rifle, letting loose a concussive shot that seemingly had no effect on the Reaper creature. "Two seconds to impact! All hands, brace!"

A blue nimbus surrounded a small portion of the shuttle's rear, covering the right end of the Kodiak a mere breath before the Harvester closed in with a screech, its head whipping about before impacting against the right side of the Alliance shuttle. The UT-47A was tossed to one side from the force of the impact, the sound of metal screeching and the wild yells of those inside being jostled about matching the loud crunch of the impact. The barrier that the two biotics had thrown up was shattered immediately, but it had done its job; it had buffered the impact, significantly reducing the damage done. A strike like that could have brought the shuttle down. The Harvester readied itself for another ramming run when Royce poured both bullets and a concussive shot right at its wing, the short distance making the shots almost guaranteed. A satisfying hole was blown right next to the wing joint of the Harvester as it let off a pained scream as it began to quickly lose altitude, its wing obviously injured. No one had time to celebrate as the third Harvester came up next, ready to strike when the Marine spoke on his comm again.

"Chief Valentino! Give it a taste 'o wrath straight up its' gizzard!"

The Marine Sentinel stuck herself outside of the port side bay door, aiming her Omnitool at the Harvester, and Royce saw her launch an Omnigel program from her Omnitool. The program, sheathed in Omnigel, streaked passed the shuttle and hit the Harvester right in its mouth, exploding into a wreath of flames. The Reaper creature flew erratically, its head whipping back and forth to extinguish the flames bursting from its mouth. The shuttle pulled away from the Harvester as Captain Preitor Gavorn and Commander Garm Jor'radah each began to fire their miniguns at the struggling Harvester, their withering fire chewing at the flying foe. Royce and the Krogan added their own gunfire as well, and within a matter of seconds, the mutated creature went down in a ball of blood and flames.

"Ho-rah!" Lieutenant Royce Mason shouted in glee, seeing the final Harvester attacking them plummeting to the moonscape of Menae. "Third one down!"

"_Lieutenant Mason! The rest of the convoy is still under attack, and I have not resolved our comms issues!"_ Chorban reminded the N6, who looked over at the other shuttle, and immediately swore. Three Harvesters were attacking the beleaguered Kodiak on all sides, the door gunners unable to hit them with any effective fire as the Reaper forces smashed into the shuttle time and time again. The UT-47A was smoking heavily, and a few flames were licking out of its engine compartment. The shuttle, and its nine occupants, were doomed.

"Harbeck! Rammin' speed!" Mason called out on the comm, looking at the shuttle. "Ram the piss out of one of them, and prepare for evasive maneuvers."

"_ARE YOU INSANE?"_ The Batarians' voice came over the comm, Garm's opinion loud and clear. "_RAMMING!?"_

"_I like how insane he is."_ Asha interjected, her voice hard. "_Chief Valentino, Eloa'Varis, get ready to Warp a Harvester coming around on our Starboard side, and we're aiming for the wings. We're hitting it before Lieutenant Harbeck crashes us."_

"_Boy, I love me being a human shield."_ Chief Stacy Valentino muttered, the Sentinel's Texan drawl thick and strong. _"Ready to do some damage."_

"_Hit 'em!"_

As soon as Asha's words hit the comm, the three biotic-capable personnel on the Kodiak hit the Harvester at the same time, three Warp fields struck the Reaper, shredding its wings. The Harvester screamed in pain, roaring fury as it immediately lost altitude. There was no time to celebrate as the UT-47A crashed into another Harvester, the nose of the Alliance shuttle taking the flying creature in its neck, knocking it off its course. The interrupted attack caused the Harvester to veer away, the minigun from the beleaguered shuttle opening up on the creature as Preitor Gavorn did the same as the Kodiak turned away, providing support for the smoking shuttle. The second Harvester went down under the withering fire, and the final one pulled away, unable to continue its attack against both shuttles.

"_Can't believed that worked."_ Elias Korvan said over the comms, his tone pleased. _"Wonder what the Hierarchy has in store for us next?"_

"_Can you not jinx us?"_ Eloa'Varis vas Thessia moaned, her synthesized voice indicating her displeasure. _"We still have to reach this firebase, and you're trying to get us scuttled across the moon!"_


	11. Chapter 11

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 11 - Watch The World Burn, Day 3 Early Afternoon

If bad luck came in a series of threes, and came worse than the last, then Lieutenant Royce Mason hated to see what number three was.

He knew he was definitely looking at number two.

The firebase was easily seen by the convoy as they traveled towards it, the two _Uvacs_ and the two Kodiaks moving towards the strongpoint that represented the Hierarchy's furthest reach. With no other support or station within miles of the area, the firebase was effectively on their own. As soon as the convoy came within visual range of the firebase, everyone could easily tell that the lone outpost was suffering from its loneliness. Despite the fact that the communications between the vehicles hadn't been fixed, no one doubt what they saw. Even the damaged Kodiak that flew in formation with Royce's own limped faster after they saw what was going on.

The firebase was under heavy attack.

"_Lieutenant? Any bright ideas?"_ Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck asked over the radio as Royce stuck his head out of the shuttle's starboard cargo door, both him and Commander Garm Jor'radah saw what was in front of them. It spoke volumes when both human and Batarian looked at the situation, then at each other without exchange one harsh word. The shuttle's viewer showed what was in front of them on a screen inside the cargo bay of the Kodiak so that everyone could see it, but it wasn't like looking at it in its fullness.

The firebase was under heavy siege.

Royce looked at the firebase; a small walled outpost that contained perhaps fifty or so personnel. There were several gun towers manning the base's perimeter, along with a good deal of personnel manning the metal wall itself. It seemed as if every person available that could man a gun or hold a rifle was doing so, and was firing. The amount of fire that they were directing what appeared to be the north side of the base was simply amazing; it seemed relentless, non-stop. Had they been firing at a normal foe, such as the Krogan or the Batarians, the firebase would have broken the back of the opposition within minutes, the volume of gun fire was that great. The tide of lead and violence was epic, set to do any warrior proud.

But what they were up against was simply staggering.

The Australian-born man looked at their foes, the Reaper forces that were driving hard at the firebase. There was simply no ground to been seen; the area around the firebase seethed with Reaper forces. The amount of Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders was simply inexplainable, it didn't seem possible that the Reapers had converted so many organics in such a short time. They had only been in the Apien System for a few days, yet they owned the battlespace almost since hour one. How they had deployed so many onto Menae was beyond the N6. So many cannon-fodder for just a small little firebase, cut-off and separated from the rest.

If the Reapers kept it up, it was only a matter of time.

"Chorban! Get on the horn and call up _anybody_ in the area. Guns, bombs, tanks or planes; we'll take it. The rest of us, start pourin' fire onto the thickest portions and see if we can give those men some relief!" Royce called out, going for the air hatch, the Krogan merc doing the same. Everyone in the shuttle that could fit through the door and stick a gun or a hand out of the opened side did so as Captain Preitor Gavorn and Commander Garm Jor'radah opened up with their miniguns. Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck flew the shuttle flat and slow in a lazy circle as two miniguns and six assault rifles began to pur fire from the Kodiak, immediately chewing up small portions of the broiling mass of Reaper drones that covered the moonscape of Menae. The second shuttle, whom they still had no communications with, did the same, flying in a loose concentric circle as its miniguns opened up on the crowds below. The _Uvaks_ parked themselves on some available high ground as they opened up with their main cannon, the mass effect-accelerated shells blasting chunks out of the enemy as their secondary coaxal chainguns sent volleys of gun fire at the forces near them, hitting the Reapers' rear.

Royce spent thermal clip after thermal clip through his M8 Avenger, pouring automatic assault rifle fire into the crowds, hoping that he was downing a few at a time as he kept up the intensity. When he went to reach for another, he found that he had gone through his ready supply of clips, signifying that he would no longer be able to fire. Before he could do anything else, though, he felt a hand slip him a thermal clip into his own. Looking down, the Australian-born man saw Asha T'vara's face below the hole of the air hatch, being the one handing him the clip, In the Asari's other hand were several more, and he could tell she intended to restock his supply that had been on his belt. He mouthed his gratitude towards her, and saw her give him a warm smile as he loaded the offered thermal clip into his Avenger, readying it once more.

"Garm! Have your side concentrate your fire by that large gate, keep the boondockers from busting it down." Royce told the Batarian, spying a large, lumbering… _thing_ coming towards what appeared to be the main entrance of the firebase. "Don't know what the hell that large brute thin' is, but it looks big and nasty. Fill it full of holes."

"_Dead Reaper, coming up."_ The SIU Commander replied, and the Marine saw the starboard minigun's gunfire start lacing into the creature, which had to be hitting ten feet tall, with spikes and claws to compliment it. Two other guns on the same side were adding to Commander Garm Jor'radah's fire, probably not much more than an annoyance to the creature, yet the concentration of rounds hitting what appeared to be the same type of beast he saw in the Outpost. It took quite of bit of peppering to take the beast down, but it eventually succumbed to the gunfire brought by the Kodiak. The combined firepower of the two shuttles, as well as the _Uvaks_, began telling as the crowd of Reapers started to thin out. Each blast from the cannons form the _Uvaks_ took out at least a dozen with each shot, while the chainguns drew bloody lines in the masses. The peppering fire of the added assault rifles did little to add to the numbers being brought down, but the multiple points of assault had the Reaper forces milling about in confusion as there were now several different points attacking them. Harbeck continued to fly the shuttle about in a slow circle, occasionally jerking from one side to another to avoid some of the gunfire and rockets coming their way.

"Keep it comin', and watch the world burn!" Royce shouted as he slapped another thermal clip into his Avenger, pouring more gunfire into a group of Husks that were near the entrance of the firebase, trying to keep the door from succumbing. Another assault rifle added to his own volume as the other shuttle seemed to get idea, and begam pouring more death towards the entrance, keeping the beleaguered base from falling. Garm's minigun added its death-dealing retort to the other shuttle's while Preitor's traced along the main force. Royce watched as the Reaper assault began to falter, the losses they were taking finally beginning to tell. There were soon more on the ground than on their feet, and the defenders of the firebase began to concentrate their own fire suppressive fire on key points of the attack, as oppose to desperately attempting to keep themselves from being overrun.

With the attack's back broken, the defenders went from a desperate gamble to a mop-up action as the firebases' gun towers focused on sweeping back and forth, maximizing their shot-to-casualty ratio while the shuttles and _Uvaks_ continued to add their volumes of fire into the points of their enemies that would best drive them away giving more relief to the firebase. After several minutes of the continued now one-sided firefight, the remaining Husks, Cannibals, Marauders and large brute-like beasts began to pour away from the beleaguered firebase in a full-on retreat, the mass of them stampeding away from the metal walls of the lonely stronghold and towards a point somewhere else on Menae. The firebase, shuttles, and _Uvaks_ fired at the rear of the retreating forces, causing more to fall while ensuring that the Reaper personnel wouldn't simply retreat, regroup, and retry. The full-on route took a minute or two before the firebase was no longer threatened from being swarmed and overrun much in the same way as Outpost 39 had been. Royce let out a whoop of excitement at he saw a sight he never expected to see; the backs of the Reapers.

"Harbeck! Land us in that firebase, and try to leave room for the other shuttle so they can make any necessary repairs." The N6 said over the radio. "Elias, you and Lieutenant Valentino do what you can for our own shuttle. Specialist Vona and Eloa'Varis, restock and resupply everyone's thermal clips, and get us a quick inventory of what remains. Captain Gavorn and Commander Jor'radah, do what you need for your guns; you guys gave them hell, so make sure we can still punch them when we need to. Asha, Chorban, and the Krogan are with me on the ground to meet up with the base commander." A choir of acknowledgements answered him, his orders being followed by his motley platoon, which pleased him as the Kodiak flew into the firebase's airspace, lowering its altitude as it made for a landing. The men of the firebase moved away as Lieutenant Harbeck found a clearing big enough for both Kodiaks, the UT-47A landing softly as Lieutenant Royce Mason, Vanguard Asha T'vara, Researcher Chorban, and the Krogan mercenary took to the ground, exiting the shuttle. Royce looked around the firebase from ground level, and was disheartened by what he saw. A glance towards the Asari Biotic showed that she was looking at him as well, her face disturbed by what she saw as well; they were evidently thinking the same thought.

The firebase was doomed.

It was half the size of the Outpost that they had visited earlier, but had almost the same number of forces. Humans and Turians were running about, the sons of Palaven vastly outnumbering the Earthlings, doing whatever was necessary for the firebase. Some of the walls had taken heavy damage from the attack, and a good many of the defenders were wounded, and more than a few were dead. It seemed that at one point in time the Reaper forces had gotten in, as there were almost a hundred dead Husks and Cannibals inside of the defenses, as well as one of the large brute-like creatures. Royce spotted the reason why; something had bashed in one of the walls, leaving a hole that a Mako could have driven through. Hasty defenses had been erected, as well as hasty defenders, and the N6 saw that a good many Humans and Turians that had gone to plug the hole were either seriously wounded or dead. A great cost for a great cause, Royce thought darkly, as those men had protected the backs of their comrades with their very lives. Everywhere were the signs of a desperate battle desperately fought, bullet holes and blood splatters making a motif of death and destruction in the firebase. It was on the faces of all the men whom occupied the lonely position, the desperation and despair that gripped them as the Reapers attacked Palaven and beyond.

"I can't believe they still have the will to hold out." Asha said softly as Royce looked at some of the firebase's occupants, trying to spy the one in charge. "How long were they holding out for before we arrived? How long since they have been resupplied or reinforced? I am inspired by these men, but what has it cost them?"

"Everything, Asha." Royce muttered, looking at the faces of the soldiers and forces that were in the firebase, seeing the same look upon all of them, Human and Turian. "Everything."


	12. Chapter 12

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 12 - Agents Of Chaos And Destruction, Day 3 Mid-Afternoon

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

The sound of a grateful nameless Turian had Lieutenant Royce Mason and Vanguard Asha T'vara looking askance at one another, their wordless communication more than enough to convey what they were thinking as a armored Turian approached the N6, Asari Biotic, nameless Krogan mercenary, and Salarian researcher Chorban as they stood away from the Kodiak that they had arrived on. To the Turians' credit, the Australian-born man saw the sons of Palaven repairing the defenses of the firebase, switching out damaged weapons for fresh ones, and begin triage in earnest after their pitch battle against the mass force of Reapers that had been knocking on their door. The Humans seemed to be pitching in well, though through all the chaos and destruction that littered the firebase, it was hard to tell whom was in charge. The Turian ran up to them, his armor dented and dirty from battle, and the hollow look in his eyes spoke volumes of his recent history. How long and how much were still a mystery, but if the N6 had to guess it would have been _long_ and _lots_.

"Sir, Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus, First Platoon, Fourth Company of the _Kyrs _Battalion." The Turian saluted, his red face paint a little worse for wear. "You and your men showed up just in time, sir. We would have succumbed to the Reapers if you hadn't answered our distress beacon."

"Um… message?" Royce asked lamely, watching as the Turian's salute slowly dropped, his mandibles flaring out in what the Marine thought was the Turian version of a dropped jaw. "I'm Lieutenant Royce Mason, Chaos 6 of the Chaos Legion, N6 of the Alliance Marines, and I have no honest idea what it is you are talkin' about, Master Sergeant Skarvus. We didn't receive any distress beacon of any kind. In fact, we've had problems with our comms, and we weren't even able to talk to the other shuttle, or the _Uvaks_. We've received no other word from Hierarchy or Alliance Command since leaving the FOB a few hours back. If you were expectin' more men, more supplies, or a ride out of this Goddamn hole, then I guess I'm leavin' you wantin'."

"You're _sk'jat'ing_ me." Skarvus growled, very obviously displeased as his eyes went to the Human, then to the Asari, then to the Krogan, and finally to the Salarian. It seemed to occur to the Master Sergeant that the four in front of him weren't anything at all what he might be expecting. While Royce didn't know what _sk'jat_ meant, he heard it a few times, enough for him to get the gist; the Turian equivalent of fecal matter. "You're not pulling my mandibles, are you, sir?"

"No I am not, Master Sergeant." The Human Lieutenant replied, deadpanned. "Take me to whomever is in charge of your firebase, and they can tell me in person. Perhaps we can do somethin' about it, or become messenger boys if it is truly that important."

"We… don't really have anyone in charge." Gronnal Skarvus admitted with some despair. "Our Colonel was killed yesterday by a Harvester hitting our command post, which also took out our two Majors, and one of our Captains. The other five Captains were killed during multiple Reaper blitzes, and we had a Lieutenant somewhere that we found to be… less than ideal to take charge." The Master Sergeant finished that last part in disgust, and Royce was reminded that the Turians were a meritocracy; one earned their way upward based upon performance. "We have a few NCO's who are trained by Staff and Command. I think we have a First Sergeant that has been making most of the overall decisions for our base. I'll take you to him, Lieutenant." To that, Royce nodded his consent as the Turian turned and started walking towards what appeared to be a simple shelter made of make-shift pieces of damaged metal plating and a few pieces of moonscape to create an impromptu bunker of sorts. The Australian was about to comment on it when he saw off to one side the bunker that the make-shift one replaced; it had taken a direct hit by a dead Harvester, its' corpse still there; that must have been the Colonel and the base's Chain of Command's demise. The N6 wisely asked and said nothing as the Master Sergant took him to a brown-skinned Turian with white markings painted on his face. Unlike some of the other Turians running about the firebase, this one looked to be in his element; stoic and ready for more. The white-marked Turian looked up when Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus came in with Lieutenant Royce Mason, Asha, Chorban, and the Krogan hanging back as to not crowd the rather small bunker. The Turian's grey eyes focused on the N6, his eye plates raising up slightly as the First Sergeant sized up the Human coming into the bunker. Royce took the scrutiny well, obviously passing whatever mental test the Turian had given him as his head bobbed downward with deferment and respect, the Australian doing the same.

"First Sergeant Karn Actus, Second Company of the _Kyrs_ Battalion." The white-marked Turian introduced himself, Royce returning the favor. "Thank you for your timely aid and effective fields of fire. I'll admit that I did not think we would be able to hold out much longer with the breech we suffered to our southeast wall."

"Master Sergeant Skarvus mentioned somethin' about a distress beacon that no one seems to have received, including us." The N6 stated, getting right to business. "We were sent by General Vale Jorval on a bogey mission because it seems that supply runs and reinforcement mission were gettin' hit hard, and he wasn't sure if there was an indoctrinated mole in the ranks, or the Reapers are that good. We were sent this way because we _hadn't_ heard anythin' from your base, and the Hierarchy thought that you weren't in need of anythin' due to your distance from the bulk of the fightin', or you were all already dead. Oops."

"General Jorval's a good soldier. Has imagination." First Sergeant Actus allowed, though the response was rather clipped, Royce noticed. "Still, two armed Alliance shuttles and two _Uvaks_ is a significant amount of firepower, as you so demonstrated. You gave us the opportunity to refit and reset ourselves, not to mention getting the Reapers to route. You may not be what I wished for, Lieutenant Mason, but you did half of what I hoped for. Perhaps you can help with the other half." _Great, more dirty laundry runs_, the Australian thought with a mental groan. "While reinforcements and supplies would be nice, there has been reports from our scouts that could give us the ability to hurt the Reapers… if we had the chance to go out there and do something about it."

"Hurtin' Reapers is good." Royce perked up at the sound of that. It was the best damn thing he had heard since landing on Menae. "Electromagnetic pulse machine? Kinetic strike package? Tactical nuclear device?"

"No, no, and I wish." The First Sergeant gave off the Turian equivalent of a sigh, shaking his head. "We found what we believe may be a Command and Control base for the Reapers; a repurposed military headquarters building in which the Reapers have constructed what appears to be a large communications tower. It does not seem to be well protected; perhaps arrogance can be our ally in a possible strike to disrupt the enemy's communications. At the least, we can strike a worthy blow against our foes."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Mason?" The Salarain, Chorban, popped his head into the bunker, his large eyes looking at the Human. "I overheard your discussion, and was wondering if I could offer an opinion." Royce looked over to Karn Actus, who nodded his consent, and Royce motioned for the Salarian to come in. "My name is Chorban, and I feel I must tell you of something that I've been working on for the past few years."

"STG?" First Sergeant Actus asked, curious, who was answered with a quick shake of the researcher's head.

"Illegal studies and researches conducted upon the Citadel. Specifically the Keepers." Chorban explained, bringing up his Omnitool on his left arm, dialing in on the input device. "I originally was working on a better Omnitool scanner for medical purposes, but found that was able to do something no one thought possible; scanning the Keepers that are on the Citadel." Royce and Karn looked at one another, sharing the same look as they looked at the Salarian, as if to say _so what?_ "Gentlemen, Keepers generally die and explode when scanned or interfered with. I created an Omnitool scanner that let myself and one other scan them without that result. The data I received from the Keepers has been my life's work, and what I found has been most enlightening… and disturbing.

"The Keepers work for the Reapers."

"Ok… I'll bite." Royce breathed out a second later. "What does that have to do with us, now?"

"The Keepers are to receive a signal from the Reapers that would turn the Citadel into a giant Mass Relay, which was to bring the invasion." Chorban quickly explained. "My fellow scanner was able to garner enough data not only to satisfy my research requirements, but was also able to stop the signal. You of course have heard of Commander Shepard, who was kind enough to scan the Keeper for me, not to mention preventing that from happening back in '83 with the Battle of the Citadel. But, with that data we gathered, I was able to gather Reaper codes from the Keepers. Input/Output signals. Source data. Unfiltered access."

"And…?" Royce wasn't seeing it.

"No one has Reaper codes." First Sergeant Actus realized, his voice filling with wonder. "Any attempt burns out whatever device we've tried using. None of the Techs have been able to get anywhere with it. You've got actual Reaper code on your Omnitool?"

"Better." The Salarian smiled. "I've been able to modify them."

Royce and Karn looked at each other for a silent moment. The implications were huge. Simply staggering, really. While the N6 was not a very Tech-savvy person himself, he knew what advantage one could get being able to 'read' the enemies' mail. Yet being able to hack something of theirs, to make changes as one saw fit, and then having to ability to reproduce and reintroduce them? It was the digital version of a nuclear weapon. What the Salarian had on his Omnitool was more than a weapon.

It was a trump card.

"What can you do with it, Chorban?" The Australian asked, his full attention on the Salarian. "If you can promise to make somethin' happen, I can promise that you will live long enough to do it. Any weakness we can make or exploit can turn the tide of battle for Menae, and possibly even Palaven. The Turians are going to need every ounce of help comin' their way." To that, the First Sergeant wordlessly nodded, obviously a realistic type of soldier not giving into flights of fancy or false bravado.

"With a communications tower, or even a signal output station, I can theoretically disrupt carrier signals throughout a broad region, depending on the strength of the signal and power boost through the buoy." The researcher mused out loud, putting a three-fingered hand to his chin; a very human gesture of thinking, Royce noted wiry. "I'll need time to make adaptations, changes, and recoding sequences, but if you can get me to that tower, I could possibly cut off communications between the Reapers and their ground forces, filling it with garbage commands and white-noise static. The equivalent of driving their forces insane."

"That's… incredible!" The Marine exclaimed, the Turian First Sergeant nodding his head emphatically. "Have you tested it out?"

"Yes, locally." Chorban replied. "Yesterday, in fact. Broadcasted through my Omnitool. Was able to survive a Husk attack because of it; six swarmed at me, and I pulsed the signal. They ended up killing each other. Effective range was only 10 meters, though."

"10 meters through an Omnitool? That's not bad, actually." Royce thought that one over. "That could seal a breech and keep some from being swarmed, as it did you." Karn visibly agreed with the fact. "Put it through a comms tower, such as the one in this firebase, you could possibly make a bubble-like barrier to keep a building from being over-runned. Or you could weaponize it, directionally sending out the signal into a hot point and watch the enemy forces tear itself apart for a few seconds or so. Sometimes that's all one needs to win a battle. Or a war."

"I've gone with plans that were less effective with a worse notion." Karn Actus said, looking at the map that he had in the bunker. "The Command and Control Center is a good distance away; you'll never make it on foot. Give me three of your vehicles and the personnel to man them, Lieutenant, and I will give you what rations and supplies I can spare to send you to the Cn'C's location. I suggest you take one of the Kodiaks as they will be faster, but an _Uvak_ can certainly withstand a good deal of punishment, though it is susceptible to the terrain of Menae, not to mention as slow as a Krogan's thought process." A growl from outside indicated that the Krogan mercenary heard the Turian soldier, ho either seemed not to notice, or didn't care. "If this Center is a linchpin or a part of the Reaper network, who knows what damage you can cause. This is a boon, the Spirits giving us an edge. Anything that it can do is one more weapon in our arsenal, especially since it is using the Reapers' own code against them. This can be the turning point we need. Not only for Palaven, but for Earth and all of the colonies. If we want to secure a victory, we need to test this source code out."

"Agreed." The Australian-born man replied, looking to the Salarian, who nodded as well. "Start settin' it up, Chorban. We'll see if we can get the Kodiak's radios up and give it a test-run through the shuttle. If it works, then we'll have two objectives." That had the Human smiling for a moment. "I love me being an agent of chaos and destruction. It's what gets me goin' through the day."


	13. Chapter 13

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 13 - A Rock Anthem To The End Of The World, Day 4 Morning

Lieutenant Royce Mason woke up with a start, his dreams plaguing him once more as he got up from the Turian-made cot that he had used to sleep on the night before. Repairs on the UT-47A had taken longer than originally thought, as well as resupplying thermal clips, water, food, medical supplies, and grenades. First Sergeant Karn Actus had given the Chaos Legion a few other gifts, mostly extra weapons and comms units, to aid them on their mission. They were going to leave soon, and Royce wanted to have everyone up and ready before they had to leave. He looked over, and was only slightly surprised to see that the Asari Vanguard Asha T'vara had slept next to him, her cot pulled close to his own, where there was little space in between. If he had wished to do so, he could easily lay down and reach over to her, their proximity was that close. While he looked upon the blue-skinned Biotic, the N6 saw her sky-blue eyes fluttering open, slowly focusing on him as he looked upon her. A soft smile came to her lips as she moved in her own cot, rubbing her eyes for a second to get the sleep out. Royce was struck by the human-like motion the Asari had made; seeing aliens doing little things that was so commonplace among humanity had him a little homesick, he guessed. Still, seeing the Asari as she turn back to him as they laid on their respective cots had the Marine a little wishful and wistful.

"Morning already?" Asha asked, looking rueful. "Can we ask the Reapers nicely to take a day off? I don't think I've gotten seven hours sleep total in the past four days."

"Only if you're willin' to meet up with their Ambassador." Royce joked, a sarcastic wit that seemed mostly absent since he himself arrived on Menae. "Wouldn't bet on it, though; I'd hate to see what an Asari Reaper looks like. I'd especially hate to see it happen to you, Asha." That had the blue-skinned woman's cheeks turn slightly indigo, obviously a blush. "Get yourself a few extra minutes sleep, 'gel. I'm going to check in with First Sergeant Actus and see if everything's ready."

"I'll come with." The Asari offered, the both of them getting out of their cots. Royce felt his back pop a few times as he stood up, putting on his armor over the black undersuit that represented the only real clothes he had. He noticed that Asha had a bodysuit that was much like his own, and he had a little bit of difficulty not noticing the swells and curves that filled out her suit. Thankfully they were both able to armor up quickly enough before Royce embarrassed himself by having her notice his physical attraction to her. Not that there way anything really wrong with it, but technically he was her superior officer, and the Alliance had rules against fraternization. Then again, she wasn't human, so who knew? Their armor on and their weapons locked onto their suits, Human and Asari left the small container that served as the temporary quarters for half of the Chaos Legion, the other half set up in a container right next to theirs. The N6 saw that the Quarian Biotic Eloa'Varis and the Turian Engineer Tech Specialist First Class Elias Korvan were up and out, sitting on a pair of make-shift stools, talking among one another. The Turian looked up to see Royce and Asha while the Quarian talked to him, using her hands to emphasize whatever point she was making. Elias looked to the two of them, and gave the Human a Turian smile, as if he had it all figured out. Royce gave the Tech Specialist a friendly scowl as Asha cleared her throat, covering her mouth with her hand to hide a smile; evidently, feelings between them were a two-way street. The Australian-born man put his mind back to straights as he saw that he and the Asari Vanguard were approaching First Sergeant Karn Actus, Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus, and a few other Turians. It seemed that whatever orders Karn was giving was over, as the five Turians saluted the First Sergeant and left to their respective posts and commands. Both Karn and Gronnal turned to see Royce and Asha approaching them.

"Good timing, Lieutenant." First Sergeant Actus mentioned, his mandibles widening for a quick second in a small Turian grin. "Preparations for your shuttle have been completed, as well as all necessary repairs. We got your comms unit fixed; evidently, someone decided to tamper with some of the systems, giving credence to General Jorval's belief that someone is indeed indoctrinated in his camp. We sent messages to him pertaining as such, but we haven't received a response in return. Either he got it and we can't get an answer, or we can't send out. Either way, we are on our own."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Asha asked, her voice concerned. Royce wasn't surprised; she was technically half-Turian, and had come to the Apien Crest on her own to help her father's family, and his race.

"You've done it already, Vanguard." Karn Actus replied with a nod of his head. "You gave us use of the Kodiak, the _Uvaks_, and the men in them. They will do well for us on this day as we make our last stand."

"Last stand?" Royce asked, a little alarmed. "Have you received any intel?"

"Yes. From one of your _Uvaks, _actually." This time, it was Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus that replied. "It did an early recon mission, and found a hoard twice the size of yesterdays roaming about in a hunter/killer fashion. We predict that will be here in two hours time… at most." That had Royce looking at Asha, who shared the same look of concern. "We have been preparing for battle, shoring up as much of our defenses and readying our weapons. The _Uvaks_ and the remaining Kodiak will by us time, but make no mistake, Lieutenant, we will die here."

"But…" The Australian-born man started, and was silenced when the Asari Vanguard placed a gentle hand on his fore arm, giving him a slight shake of her head, warding him from continuing his sentence. Royce let out a huff of breath, filled with indignation, yet acceded to Asha's wisdom. "Give 'em hell, gentlemen. When you join the Spirits of your people, may you tell them that you climbed over a mountain of corpses of the enemy when you did."

"May your own Gods watch over you as well, Lieutenant Royce Mason." The First Sergeant saluted him in the Turian fashion, as did the Master Sergeant; talons to heart first, and then to brow. Royce saluted them in return, and then took their hands and shook them both.

"This life or the next." The Australian replied. Soon, both he and Asha had everyone in the Chaos Legion up and moving, readying themselves for the mission. Royce was quieter than usual as Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck readied the shuttle, everyone getting in save Tech Specialist Elias Korvan and Asha T'vara. Both noticed the N6's mood, and it was obvious that they were concerned. Royce thought it strange that within such a short period of time, that he had garnered these two people that he would considered friends.

"What's bothering you? Something is." Asha told the Marine, Elias nodding his head in agreement.

"They could be leavin'!" Royce exclaimed, pointing to the Turians who were in the firebase. "They could be evacuatin', not sittin' here, waitin' to die."

"Royce… they're buying us time." Elias told him, his voice low-pitched. "This mission, this signal mission that Chorban's got? Lieutenant Valentino, Chorban, Vona and I all looked at it and worked on it. It's big, Royce; sacrifice-worthy big. It's important enough that they gave us as many repair parts for the shuttle as we could fit, helped us fix it, and gave us more thermal clips than we got storage space for." The Turian went silent for a moment, looking to the soldiers of the firebase. "They couldn't do that _and_ evacuate at the same time. It was one or the other, my friend. First Sergeant Actus knows that they might die soon or or later, but an opportunity to kick the Reapers in their collective _cloceas_? That is something worth fighting for. That is something worth dying for."

"I get it." The Marine said, his voice low. "I don't like it, but I get it. It just kills me to think of how many good men must die just to stick it in a break it off in those boondockin' bastards."

"If we can still think to fight, and have room for compassion, then there is still hope for us as sentients, still a cause worth fighting for, Royce." Asha said, placing a gentle hand on Royce's armored shoulder. "If I truly thought that my death would buy my planet one more day of peace and security, I would gladly give it without hesitation and a smile upon my face. How do you think Garm feels, knowing that Khar'shan is truly lost, that his people are, in all sense, wiped out? What do you think the Batarian would give for his race?"

"I can only imagine." The Australian-born man answered, looking back to the SIU Commander, who was now sitting in his preferred seat; the starboard-side minigun. His eyes went to the blue hand that was still on his shoulder, not bothering to shrug it off. Elias had noticed the hand and the Human looking at it, and one brow plate went up at Mason as if to say _this is bothering you?_ The N6's eyes found themselves meeting the Vanguard's own sky-blue orbs, finding something resembling fondness in them, and he offered her a small smile. "Let's get this hootenanny carnival on the road and listen to the soundtrack of the rock anthem to the end of the world before we get pasted before doin' somethin' good for a change."

The three of them boarded the Kodiak, Royce tapping Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck to let him know they were ready for lift-off. The N6 sat in the co-pilot's seat, looking back into the cargo area to see that everyone was strapped in and ready to go as the UT-47A began to take to the sky, the inertia dampeners kicking in as they gained in elevation, the firebase growing smaller as the Marine saw it disappear from the starboard port window. He keyed in the map, seeing their destination superimposed over the map of Menae. Their destination, the Cn'C, was well over one hundred kilometers away.

"Jeff, keep up low to the ground and slow as well. Use valleys and bluffs to screen our movement; I don't feel like dodging Destroyers and Harvesters every step of the way." Royce told the pilot as they began to edge away from the firebase, the Marine's thoughts dark as the left. He thought of what Elias and Asha told him, of the Turians and the Humans left behind at that nameless firebase that was soon to be overrun. It was a cruel sort of fate, that he would live while others would die for him while he was off and away from it all. In the logical part of his mind, he understood it, but in his heart, it grieved him.

Royce was determined to take that signal and shove it down the Reapers' throats for all he was worth.


	14. Chapter 14

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 14 - Judgment Day, Day 4 Morning

The Alliance UT-47A flew over the moonscape of Menae, flying at a tenth of its normal speed, hovering somewhere between ten and fifteen meters above the ground's surface. Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck used the terrain of the craggy moon to his advantage, flying through the valleys and dips that dotted the moon's landscape to keep as low a profile for the Kodiak and its eleven personnel. The idea was to keep the shuttle and its mission off the radar, both literally and figuratively. They had been flying for an hour, hills and cliffs dominating a majority of their view as Jeff used the terrain to screen their flight, keeping a display of Menae's topographical map to best plot their complicated route. Both Royce and Jeff agreed that it was better to be cautious in this, as any attack was almost guaranteed to be more than they could probably handle. Commander Garm Jor'radah and Captain Preitor Gavorn sat ready on the miniguns of the shuttle with Vanguard Asha T'vara and Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia as their secondaries and assistance. Most everyone else was working on what Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino called 'the Enigma Signal' after an encryption device from a previous war on Earth. Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, Chorban, Chief Valentino and Tech Specialist Second Class Vona Arterius were working on the shuttle's on-board computer and their Omni-tools, each of them electing to pick a portion of the signal apart in the hopes of finding signals or codes to best exploit. The Reaper code, as Royce understood it, was real monster; several terrabytes worth of information, enough for Chorban to hijack the Kodiak's on-board VI for assistance.

It was all over the Australian-born man's head. He was just going to let the nerds and geeks take care of it.

"We're about halfway there, Loot." Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck said as he interacted with the ship's console, piloting the shuttle while keeping his eyes on the terrain. The Kodiak's HUD was a myriad amount of information and displays, more than Royce could follow, which is why he didn't even bother trying. He kept his eye on the shuttle's radar, which was on a passive sweep, electing to keep the active scanner off so that it didn't announce their position. Nothing was popping up on the radar, and neither of the door gunners were calling out anything. "Estimated time of arrival, one hour and thirteen minutes at current speed. Probably won't work out that way."

"Of course not." The N6 muttered, taking a glance back, seeing Asha standing watch at the port side door, where Captain Preitor Gavorn sat on the gun. The two biotics had agreed to provide defense for the door-gunners by providing barriers in case of attack, and a spare set of eyes when not. Royce found his gaze lingering on the Asari, and the Vanguard seemed to notice, because she looked his way. Instead of being embarrassed, she gave him a smile before returning her eyes back out to the terrain.

"So. Asari plus googly eyes equals story time?" The pilot asked hopefully, his tone indicating that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Royce responded with a growl, giving the Lieutenant next to him the stink eye, which Harbeck seemed somewhat immune to as he smiled while continuing to fly the shuttle. "Ok, ok. You don't kiss and tell. Or look and tell. Or… whatever it is that you can do in an active warzone." The two men were silent for a moment, which was about as long as Jeff could keep his mouth shut. "You know what they say about Asari, Royce. 'Once you go blue….'"

"You… do not… want… to finish… that sentence." The Marine cut off the pilot, his voice deep and authoritative, as only a SpecOps warrior could manage. The Australian-born man couldn't help himself, though; he looked back to see her still standing there, holding her M15 Vindicator in a defensive stance, her eyes scanning the passing terrain next to Captain Preitor Gavorn in his gunner's seat. The glance last but a second or two, yet Royce had to admit it; he was a little more than entranced by her. "Fine," the N6 said with a sigh, looking back towards the forward viewing port of the Kodiak, "you've got a point, Jeff. I like her."

"Ha! Jorgal owes me fifty credits!" The pilot hooted with a smile, his eyes never leaving his work station. Royce marveled at the pilots' multitasking abilities; he could pilot and be a jackass at the same time.

"Jorgal? Who's that?" Royce asked, wondering if the pilot had met a Turian at the firebase and struck up a conversation. Then again, Jorgal wasn't a very Turian name, as far as the Human could tell. In fact, it sounded more, well… "The Krogan? His clan name is Jorgal?"

"I guess so. He mentioned it at the firebase, something along the lines of 'nobody messes with a Jorgal'." The pilot mimicked the Krogan's deep, throaty bass voice. "Kinda scares me, but having a guy like that on your side? He's worth at least four Marines alone."

"Yeah, I've fought a Krogan or two in my time. Tough bastards." Royce admitted readily enough, without shame. The reputation that the Krogan had as fighters and warriors was well-deserved. Even without proper battle tactics, a Krogan fighter could soak up a good deal of damage, not needing to take cover or rely upon squad battle drills to take advantage of a firefight. How did one stop a half-ton creature that shrugged off rounds and light fighting at ramming speed? Grenades helped, usually. "Could use a few extra Krogan in this fight. You want a race genetically engineered to kick just about anythin's ass? Krogan. And then there's their Warlords and their Battlemasters; they're the even tougher, better version of your normal, run-to-the-mill Krogan. Like a tank with legs."

"Yeah. Makes me think of those big ass things we saw at the fire base. The Brutes, I mean." Jeff noted. Royce felt his jaw drop as what the pilot had said ran through his brain, the implications immense. _Could it even be possible, much less true? _The Marine thought to himself.

"Those Brutes… they're Krogan." Royce murmured, thinking it out. "Husks are Human, Cannibals are Batarian, Marauders are Turian… Brutes must be Krogan. Makes sense."

"Are they attacking Tuchanka already?" Jeff asked, a little disturbed by the thought. The fact that he wasn't arguing the point meant that he either believed it, or it made too much sense to deny it. "Khar'shan I get. The Batarians are good, but I don't they could have stood against us. The Turians getting their asses handed back to them worry me. If they're already attacking Tuchanka…" The implication was dire, and Royce felt it, too. Four Garden worlds under attack in as many weeks? The Batarian homeworld was practically lost, and Earth was losing quickly. Palaven was still putting up a fight, but the Marine didn't know how much longer Turian forces would last against the onslaught of Reapers. He could only imagine that if this was the bulk of their forces, then the Turians only had days left for fighting back, to really stand a chance. Perhaps if they were mostly here, others would be readying themselves for a counterattack. Alliance forces were in the Apien Crest, giving the Turians the necessary reinforcements, but a majority of the Arcturus Fleets were recovering… somewhere.

Judgment day had come, and things were looking grim.

"We got to keep fightin', Jeff. We got to keep goin'." Royce told the pilot, looking over to the Lieutenant flying the shuttle. "We give up now, no one's gonna stand a chance against these bastards. I think of all those people on Earth and Palaven, unable to fight, unable to leave. What would I say to them if I gave up now, if I threw in the towel?"

"Yeah." The pilot said, his voice soft. "I got a sister back on Earth, somewhere in Canadian Province." Jeff admitted quietly. "Don't know how she or her family are doing, but she isn't a soldier. It's up to people like us to fight for people like her. For everyone, really. We keep fighting, it's got to be saving some lives somewhere, right?"

"Right you are." The N6 said, looking out to the view port, seeing the rocky crags and furrows of the Menae moonscape. "Thinkin' about what fightin' is goin' on on Earth, if it's anythin' like it is here. Fightin' in cities, on plains, in buildin's and on vehicles. How many displaced and on the run? How many desperate and prayin' for salvation? How many are dyin' every minute while we're dyin' out here? Earth is bein' decimated and we're out here fightin' for a Turian spot of dirt."

"Royce." The Marine looked over to Jeff, seeing the pilot sparing him a small glance, the effect not lost on the N6 that Harbeck would look away from his dangerous job to convey his seriousness. "It was like what you told your platoon earlier; we want to save Earth, we need the Turians. The only way the Turians will leave Palaven is if we beat back the Reapers enough to where they _can_ leave, or at least receive reinforcements. What we learn here, we can use on Earth. We hold Menae and Palaven, we can take back Earth."

"I know, Jeff." Royce whispered, looking up to the burning Turian homeworld. "Just seein' it here, seein' Palaven burn, makes me think of home. End of the bloody world, judgment day and all, and I want nothin' more than to be there, savin' human lives." The N6 was silent for a moment as the Kodiak flew around a bend, still keeping low. "Makes me think of that First Sergeant and Master Sergeant out on the firebase, Gronnal Skarvus and KarnActus. They're fightin' for us, aren't they. Guess it's good to remember that we're all in this fight together. Palaven is burnin' just like Earth is. Reapers done went and wiped the slate clean with us all. Bloody wankers."

"Aussies and their funny dialect." Jeff sighed, hitting a few buttons on his holographic console, bringing up a further portion of the terrain map. "Any more shrimp on the barbie and we'll be having dingos eating all our babies. It's a wonder we even speak the same damn language."

"You're one to talk, Canuck." Royce jibbed back with a smile, his tone snide. "Oops, _soorie_ I stepped all _oover_ your Kraft dinner, lad. 'Least you're easier to understand than the blimin' Irish. Sounds like they gargle Guinness for breakfast and suck down haggis through a bloody funnel before talkin' like a bunch of uneducated blokes."

"You got a point there. Went to Basic with a DI that was an Irish prick. I understood… three out of ten words, perhaps?" That had the Marine laughing, and he had an idea exactly who the pilot was talking about.

" '_All ye laddies an' lassie get yer 'eads oot yer arses 'for I kick 'em back out yer neckholes!'_ " Royce imitated the DI in question, Drill Instructor Fergus Coolbaugh. "Remember that boondocker. Last I heard, he's still kickin' recruits around like puppy dogs. Wonder where he is, now?"

"Probably making Husks cry, screaming and shouting down Harvesters to yell into their faces, and telling Reapers how they're good-for-nothing sissies that have no right looking at the Corp, much less trying to fight against it. Or, armed to the teeth with rockets and a wrecking ball. I like the last one." Harbeck replied, a smile in his tone. "Forty klicks to go, smooth sailing so far, Lieutenant."

"We can only hope the rest will be the same." The N6 muttered, looking back up to the image of a burning Palaven. "When there is still hope, there's still a reason to fight."

"Amen."


	15. Chapter 15

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 15 - Double-Fisted Fury, Day 4 Early Afternoon

The Tower. They had arrived.

Unfortunately.

"You have got to be shittin' me." Lieutenant Royce Mason cursed under his breath, laying just shy of the ridgeline while looking at the Command and Control Tower with his M96 Mattocks' scope. Every one of the Chaos Legion was doing the same, looking just over the crest of the hill, using various implements to do so. All ten of them had something to say, looking at the Tower, and what surrounded it.

The motherload of Reaper forces. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands of them.

"Well, we're completely surrounded; this simplifies things." Tech Specialist Elias Korvan said cheerfully next to Royce, looking though the scope of his M15 Vindicator. "We don't even have to go looking for a way for the enemy to come and try to get themselves killed."

"Chesty Puller. I didn't know you studied Human military quotes." The N6 replied, impressed, looking over to the Turian.

"A Human said that?" The Tech Specialist asked, surprised and impressed. "That was General Revis Makarsian, back during the Krogan Rebellions."

"Boys, can we get back to the situation at hand?" Vanguard Asha T'vara said on the other side of the Human Marine, looking through a pair of supplied binoculars. "I'm sure the Reapers will be impressed with your military knowledge, but that won't get them out of the way of the door."

It was a good point, and true, Royce thought as he surveyed the moonscape in front of them. It seemed that every square inch of land for a few kilometers around the obvious Tower was filled with Husks, Cannibals, Marauders, or Brutes. Dragon's Teeth stood like banners of the enemies mixed into the mess, bodies spiked and decorating the view. The bodies of the dead had been brought to the field as Cannibals would impale corpses upon the Dragon's Teeth, obvious that even death wouldn't stop the process of being Reaperfied. The Marine noticed that none of the corpses seemed to be shot in the head, or overtly damaged; it was good to know that if he wanted not to come back a zombie, that it would be best to die in a catastrophic explosion and be pasted. Harvesters littered the air, either picking up more Reaper troops, or dumping off more to be processed; mostly the dead, but some wounded and unable to resist.

And that was the only thing standing in between them and the front door.

"Military tactics…" Royce muttered to himself, thinking of a few tricks up the Alliance sleeve. While Human history may not have been as long as most of the other civilized races, mankind had proven itself to be just as war-like as the Krogan and the Turians. Royce, along with other N graduates, had studied Turian tactics, noting some of the more memorable battles the sons of Palaven had fought. One thing had always stood out; lack of innovation. Turians relied on attrition and maneuverability, while as Human warfare exploited weaknesses and dirty tactics. The Turians had never invented a Trojan Horse or an Operation: Overlord. The Turians never had to fight against anything outnumbered unless there was no choice, while as Humans had many a underdog come through not only due to better tactics, but better understanding that it didn't always come down to a straight fight. Most of the celebrated commanders and leaders of war in Human history were men who had done just that; fought against daring odds and won. Men like Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonapart. Men like George Patton and Jon Grissom.

"I've got an idea; we're going to do an orbital drop."

"I've said it before, but… YOU… ARE… INSANE… HUMAN!" Commander Garm Jor'radah shouted, yet unlike last time, it was more in appreciation as the eleven of them gathered in the hidden shuttle, parked underneath a rocky outcropping to disguise themselves from the Harvesters and Reapers. "You want us to fly there and… jump out the door? Land on the Tower? While surrounded?"

"Beats fighting through all of them." Eloa'Varis vas Thessia pointed out, her hand glowing blue for a brief moment. "We wouldn't last more than a few seconds trying to rush in."

"The idea is to distract them, and jump in while they're more worried 'bout the shuttle." Royce told all of them, looking over to Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck. "Two will stay behind on the shuttle and man the guns while Jeff does what he does best; being a pest. The rest of us will HALO in and take over the front door and front room of the compound. A tight spot will make a murderway for those defendin' the door, pluggin' up the breach with lots of dead bodies, while the rest escort Chorban to the Towers' communication room, clearing out the rest of the buildin' of any of its nasty surprises waitin' on the inside. Chorban gets in, uploads the signal, and hits the Reaper forces with everythin' its got. What is the status of the signal, Chorban?"

"I have found the disruptor carrier signal that the Protheans created to keep the Keepers from obeying any incoming Reaper signal." The Salarian researcher supplied, opening up his Omnitool and inputting it on the shuttles' screen for all to see; it was of no help for those not tech-savvy, but it at least it gave them something to look at while the researcher talked. The word 'Prothean' garnered everyone's attention; thinking "In theory, playing the signal on an open frequency should modify any Reaper forces long enough to have an effect. What effect? Will be hard to say. Also, have no idea how long it will take. Or if it will even work."

"How about a test run?" Vanguard Asha T'vara asked. "I never go into battle until I've made sure my weapons are in good working order. How about we capture a few Husks, lure them in, and give it a trial run. See what it does."

"Was getting to that, patience." Chorban replied excitedly, his words starting to become clipped and bumping into one another, his high metabolism and quick intellect in full swing. "Another diversion for Lieutenant's plan; a Reaper lure. Will produce signal that shouts 'come here', should drive forces away, enough to make our job easier. Also test run. Make short wave for short distance, small group. Easy to handle and kill if not work."

"Breath, Chorban. We can only process so much information at so fast a pace." Elias retorted, friendly enough. "You pop a 'come see me' grenade and bring a few of those bastards in. We hit them with the signal and see what happens. If it doesn't work, we kill them with guns?"

"What I said, but in a dumber manner." The Salarian huffed, obviously put out. "What would I give for someone who isn't practically a caveman."

"Can I grill his liver, now?" The Krogan mercenary asked, eyeballing the Salarian. "All this smart talk is making me hungry." The Salarian looked over to the merc, backing away slowly under the red-eyed scrutiny of the Krogan.

"Not now, Clan Jorgal." Royce told the mercenary, who merely growled in response. "Fatten him up first so that way its an actual meal instead of _hors d'oeuvre_." That didn't seem to please the researcher any, though the Marine gestured that he wasn't being serious at all. "We'll take Garm and Prietor out for the capturing, along with Chief Valentino, Asha, and Eloa'Varis for their Biotics in case we need the push. Elias, you, Vona, and the Krogan will pull overwatch and let us know when we need to bug out. Chorban, get ready to produce a short-range lure. We prefer a Husk, a Cannibal, and a Marauder. _If_ the signal can work on any of those three, it will be a boon. If it works on all three, then we got a solution." The Marine looked around at all the faces, and saw understanding in each of their faces. None argued with him, which was good. None came up with 'better ideas', which was nice. Each were eager to stick it to the Reapers, which was important. "Jeff, stay in the buggy and keep it ready to fly out of here in case we got to high-tail it outta here quickly."

Everyone was in their positions within a few minutes in a small gully that wouldn't be overrun quickly. A small entrance stood in between two walls that wouldn't let more than a few in at a time when the lure was placed. Lieutenant Royce Mason, Commander Garm Jor'radah and Captain Preitor Gavorn stood in the widest spot of the gully, having built some hasty defenses from loose rocks. Behind the each of them was a Biotics-capable person; Preitor had Chief Stacy Valentino, Garm had Eloa'Varis vas Thessia, and Royce had Asha T'vara at his back. They waited as the Jorgal Krogan, Elias Korvan, and Vona Arterius got on their perch on one of the canyon walls, the two Turians setting up their sniper rifles while the mercenary had his death-dealing M76 Revenant and T24 Phaestron out, ready to spray.

Royce occupied the center position, and he had brought a friend that had the Batarian scoffing in doubt, and the Krogan looking on with some envy. The Marine was carrying an old Vulcan canon; a chaingun that was once carried on the Mako's predecessor, the Puma. Pre-Thermal clips, it still worked off of heat sinks, in which the gun had several that rotated through the three barrels to ensure a high volume of fire before overheating. Able to sustain several minutes of supportive, suppressive firing before overheating, the Eliminator's nickname was 'Old Painless' or 'the Eliminator' in the Corp, and was configured for use both in vehicles, and personnel use. Pulling it out of the Kodiak's storage compartment and changing it to its one-man carrying configuration, everyone stared at him when he jumped out of the shuttle with the three-barreled chaingun cradled in his hands. Now in position, it set on top of the rock wall he had quickly built to keep some of the rounds that would undoubtedly be coming from hitting him.

"Asha." Royce turned to look behind him, seeing the Asari behind him, giving him a soft smile, not being too obvious about it. It pained him, but he had to tell her this. "I don't know how things are going to work out, but if things go south, I want you to get as many back onto the shuttle and tell Jeff to get out of here in case I can't make it back. Tell Jeff 'Karma Code' and bug the hell out."

"But…"

"Asha… 'gel… please." The Marine let one of his hand's slip onto her own, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her sky-blue eyes looked at his hand upon her own, and then back to his own eyes. "I'm not gettin' everyone killed based on hopes and dreams. If this don't work, I want you to get out of here with as many of them as possible. Remember, 'Karma Code'."

"I'll… I'll remember." The Asari nodded her head in acceptance, her eyes pained. "But until that moment, Royce, I will have your back. You will _not_ die on this stupid moon as long as I draw breath or until no hope remains. I will honor your wish then; but at nothing less than that."

"Then it's settled." Royce said, smiling without feeling it. "I wouldn't want to think that I would be responsible for all your deaths. If I thought that some would make it back, some would survive, then…" He stopped when he felt Asha's hand on his shoulder, looking at the woman who was touching him.

"I understand, Royce." The Asari smiled at him. "I think this is your way of saying you care for me."

"Obvious?"

"Just a little." Asha smiled, earning a snort from Chief Valentino, who merely rolled her eyes at the two of them. The Marine chuckled at the sight.

"_Lieutenant, the lure signal is calibrated and ready."_ Chorban radioed over the comm unit, the Salarian standing just inside the shuttle. _"Are you and your men ready?"_

"Ready as we'll ever be to bring about our double-fisted fury." Royce replied, hefting Old Painless up after hand-rotating the spinning barrels to cock it. "The die has been cast, and it's time to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. Send the signal, Chorban, and let's kill 'em all and let the Gods sort 'em out!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 16 - An Engine Of Destruction, Day 4 Afternoon

The gully was filled with the sounds of screams and death and gunfire as the rock walls of the gully reverberated with the sounds of a pitched battle. The Reaper horde pushed its way into the gully, the narrow entrance only a letting a few in at a times, those who did quickly being cut down by the cacophony of rounds piercing their bodies. Husks were the majority pouring through the ingress at first, their bodies being chewed up quickly as their corpses began to litter the front of the ingress, none making it more than a few meters in. Cannibals and Marauders were beginning to add to the mix as well before the battle had been going on for a minute, and lasted just as long as their Human-mutated counterparts. The fallen were making it harder for the living Reaper forces to get into the gully, yet were making harder for the Chaos Legion to hit them as they were coming through the entrance. The sound of sniper shots and assault rifle fire echoed off the stone walls, yet were drowned out by the sound of a chaingun ripping into Reaper forces. Lieutenant Royce Mason, armed with Old Painless, activated the gun's motor, spinning the barrels when he pulled the trigger. The heat sinks spun counterspin from the barrels, the airflow to add to the heat dissipation from the sinks as the Vulcan began to fire. The sound of it was indescribable; it was just one long, loud shot, like a giant ripping a ship's sail into two. The rounds that exited out of the spinning barrels looked like the Finger of God touching the enemy, and each time it touched a Husk, a Cannibal, or a Marauder, it would simply turned into pink mist and two boots left standing.

Royce had been laughing the whole time.

The rounds from the Vulcan swept back and forth on the entrance as Commander Garm Jor'radah and Captain Preitor Gavorn concentrated on any that tried to escape the violent wrath of the Human Marine. A Maruader or two would try to dodge and roll out of the way, and usually encountered a sniper round fired from either Tech Specialist Elias Korvan or Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius. The Krogan from Clan Jorgal fired his M76 Revenant next to the Turian snipers, using his higher angle to hit more where Royce's chaingun wasn't denying his chance to kill anything.

There was finally a slaughter that was going on on their side.

The cacophony of death at the entrance of the gully had Reaper forces dying by the dozens, the entrance piling up with the corpses of mutated organic beings, clogging up the once-narrow entryway even further. A few Marauders had taken a mind to try and come over on the sides of the walls of the entrance, but were quickly cut down by Elias, Vona, and the Jorgal merc, their bodies falling into the seething mass that was in a blind, desperate, mindless rush to kill the organics that were making a stand inside the gully. The growing hill of the dead continued to grow, the living Reaper forces trying to push the way clear, to unclog the narrow entrance for better access for the ten that stood there, handing out death, like candy.

What it was, was a well-oiled engine of destruction.

Royce paused from firing the Vulcan, letting the barrels spin while keeping his finger off the trigger, letting the chaingun cool down while Garm and Prietor continued firing into the horde of Reapers. Asha T'vara, Chief Stacy Valentino, and Eloa'Varis stood next to their counterparts, hitting the closing gap with Warps, shredding organic/cybernetic tissue from each Reaper they hit with their dark Biotic energies. Their sub-machine guns came out, adding to the volume of fire as the N6 looked at the heat gauge of the Eliminator that he held in his hands, and saw that it had dropped to a much cooler state. Smiling, he pulled the trigger, and Husk, Cannibal, and Marauder were quickly cut down.

"_Royce, heads up!"_ Elias Korvan called out on his comm unit, the sniper seeing something ahead, no doubt. _"We got a couple of them big brute things coming straight for us, plowing through the rest!"_

"Got it!" The Human Marine replied, shouting into his comm unit over the impossibly loud sound of the Vulcan. "Chorban, ready that drone! If there was a perfect moment to use it, it's right after that big bastard!"

"_Combat drone loaded with signal emitter, ready to deploy!"_ The Salarian researcher answered, standing by the Kodiak, knowing what his roll was. As soon as his words reached the Australian-born man, Royce saw the heap of corpses, being mounted and conquered by Reaper forces, bulge out for a moment before exploding outward, revealing no less than three Brutes crashing through.

"Concentrate on the Brutes!" Royce shouted through his comm unit, his Vulcan already beginning to carve into the lead mutated Krogan. "Cborban! Deploy drone behind them into the masses!"

Everyone that could fire, did. The two Turian snipers were firing at one of the Brutes along with the Krogan mercenary, while Garm, Preitor, Asha, Eloa'Varis, and Stacy tackled the other with their assault rifles and submachine guns. Royce handled the lead one himself, Old Painless chewing up the Brute. Behind the three mutated Krogan, the Reaper forces populated with Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders were pooling into the gully, their numbers exploding as the Chaos Legion focused on the larger threat. The Brute that the Human Marine was firing upon buckled quickly to the onslaught of the Eliminator when a yellow combat drone floated over to the swarming mass of smaller Reaper forces. The drone, loaded with a signal emitter program, exploded in a pulse of energy, spreading over the Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders that were quickly overrunning the entrance of the gully. The Chaos Legion continued to fire on the Brutes, staggering the large juggernauts as the energy pulse of the drone spread over a large portion of the Reapers. Royce stopped firing his chaingun, letting the gun cool off as his Brute got up from one knee, preparing to run.

Then something strange happened.

Royce was about to squeeze the trigger to commence firing upon the Brute when something he hadn't been expecting happened. The Brutes had been one of the toughest Reaper ground force, and between them and the massing forces of the smaller Reapers behind them, he knew that they would be overran. So when his Brute began to be mobbed by Husks, Cannibals and Marauders jumping upon the giant Reaper and begin to beat and tear at it, all Royce could do was watch as the three Brutes were stampeded by the mass of smaller Reapers. The three mutated Krogan fell within seconds, their heavy limbs swinging, smacking mutated versions of Humans, Batarians, and Turians about as dozens replaced each that they lost. The Brutes fell under the masses, being torn to pieces as the mob began to fight amongst themselves, ripping and tearing in a blood-frenzy.

"Pull out! To the shuttle, quadruple time!" The Australian-born man shouted into his comm, hefting his Vulcan and running back to the shuttle, the ones that stood with him making better time than he. Garm and Preitor did a quick about-face, covering the retreat of the three Biotics and the Human Marine. The four of them ran passed the Turian and the Batarian, and a few meters passed them Asha and Stacy did the same, the Vanguard and the Chief Petty Officer covering the retreat next. Royce made it to the shuttle, turing about to cover the rest as Garm, Preitor, Asha, Stacy, Eloa, Elias, Vona, and the Jorgal Krogan boarded the shuttle quickly, the N6 watching as the seething mass of Reapers tore each other apart. He gave off a grim smile as more poured into the gully, each seemingly intent on ripping as many apart as possible.

"Chorban, looks like its workin' just fine." Royce said over his comm, the small civil war that the Reaper forces were having with one another. He stepped onto the shuttle, tossing the Vulcan chaingun into the back of the shuttle. "Harbeck? Get us out of here before that signal wears off. Keep it low and move us back a klick or two. We need to prepare for an assault on the Command and Control Tower."

"_Got it, jefe."_

The Kodiak lifted up from the ground, sliding out from its rocky outcropping protection and slowly rose from the gully, keeping its presence as discrete as possible. Royce looked out the starboard cargo door where Commander Garm Jor'radah manned the door gun. The Human and Batarian looked at one another, and shared a rare smile as they looked back at the broiling mass of Reapers desperately killing each other off. The mob was whittling itself into smaller and smaller portions, looking more like a large brawl than a military juggernaut. The Marine kept watching, still seeing Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders fightings against one another until it seemed that those who were effected by the frenzy finally fell to those who hadn't. Royce wished they had more time to study the effect; was it permanent? Would Husks attack anything, or other Reaper forces only? Were some immune or did it effect everyone equally. Those would have been answers that Alliance Brass and Hierarchy Brass would have loved to have known, yet during times of war, it just wasn't possible to get all the necessary testing done and questions answered. For now, they had a working solution, if not a final solution.

The Kodiak rose from the gully, and flew low and away as the N6 Marine revised their plan of attack upon the Tower, ready to change everything. Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck placed the UT-47a in a low depression to keep unwanted eyes from discovering the Alliance shuttle as the Chaos Legion prepared inside its cargo hold. Little was said or shared amongst its ten members as every available slot for extra thermal clips and grenades was filled, and then put into personnel-carried bags for surplus and attached as well. Each member was intent to carry as many as possible, and almost every available cubic inch of space was given for the use of weapons and explosives, with only the very tops of the bags being finally crammed with food rations and medical supplies, mainly MediGel. While the rest of the Chaos Legion packed and prepared, Royce took a moment to collect his thoughts before moving over to the pilot's cabin, placing a hand on Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck's shoulder. The pilot turned and looked at the N6, giving the Australian-born a knowing smile.

"I know my part in this, Mason." The pilot said simply, returning his attention to the port viewer in front of him, looking at the readouts of the shuttle he was piloting. "As soon as you drop off into the Tower, I'll do as much damage as possible to the horde outside; chase off some Harvesters, shoot off some rockets, make a general nuisance of myself. You keep yourself alive in their, and I'll do my best to survive out here."

"If it goes south…" Royce began, and Jeff cut him off.

"I'll pick up as many Turians and ships as possible and come back here and lay waste to the place." The Canadian replied with finality. "No one kills off my friends and gets away with it. Now that we know the signal works, I'll make sure it gets passed along to somebody. Nobody's dying for nothing today."

"Fair enough, Jeff." The Marine replied, patting the pilot on the shoulder. "I'll be waiting up there will your beer."

"Make it a tall one." The Canadian pilot said with a small chuckle. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd prefer that we share one at Purgatory, while watching an Asari dancer… though I see you got that one covered."

"I _heard_ that!" Asha said, coming up from the cargo area, poking her head through the cockpit door, though there was a smile on her face, apparent that she took no offense. "If you are jealous, I'm sure I can find one or two Maidens who might be willing to accommodate if you're interested in a double-date."

"Fight first, party later." Jeff replied, though there was a playful tone in his voice. "But I'll hold you to it."


	17. Chapter 17

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 17 - An Express Elevator To Hell, Day 4 Late Afternoon

The Alliance UT-47A Kodiak shuttle lifted up from the depression that it had been hiding in, the thrusters and Mass Effect field causing the shuttle to rise in elevation as it faced towards the direction of the Command and Control Tower, towards where a massive horde of Reapers, both ground and airborne, were located. The eleven people inside the shuttle were prepared for a chaotic ride, the members of the Chaos Legion readying their weapons as Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius and Captain Preitor Gavorn readied their miniguns, prepared to defend the risky plan of attack to get them there. Lieutenant Royce Mason could feel impatience building up in him as he stood ready, slipping on the Jump Belt over his armor. What they were about to do was risky as hell; a mistake could make any one of them end up grape jelly on the moonscape.

It beat running through the mongrel horde, all guns a'blazing, though.

The Australian-born man went through each of the eight members of the Chaos Legion that would be going in with him, checking their Jump Belts and making sure that they were fastened correctly and that the settings were correct for each individuals' weight. Commander Garm Jor'radah didn't seem to need any help with his, a quick eyeball had Royce confirm that SIU Agents may use the same tactics that N's did, though the Jorgal merc was a bit of an issue, as the belt didn't fit around the Korgan's waist at first, even at the maximum waist size. They got it to work after minute, and then Royce set the maximum allotted weight, hoping for the best for the three hundred plus kilo Krogan. He then put the maximum stopping distance as well. The N6 told the Krogan his worries, yet the merc seemed non-plussed about it. Hopefully the Jorgal clan warrior wouldn't end up a crater on Menae.

"_Lieutenant, we're ready to go when your team is."_ Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck's voice came over the comm unit. _"Vona and Preitor_ _indicate that their guns are up and ready, and all missiles are armed and ready for our little suicide run."_

"Suicide run implies that we have no other chance of success." Royce said as he picked up his Vulcan chaingun, holding it with both his hands. "This is going to work; I've jumped into worse than this, actually."

"I'm almost afraid to ask where that was." Tech Specialist Elias Krovan replied, looking at the Human Marine with interest. "Seriously. What could be worse than this?"

"Heshtok, in the Kyzil System of the Shriek Abysmal cluster." Royce replied, getting a surprised look from the Turian. "It was for our N3 certification; jump onto a hostile world with nothin' more that a weapon of choice, our armor, some thermal clips, and a mission to escape with our lives. Took about a week and a half to escape, and I think I spent an equal amount of time in the hospital recoverin' from it. Good times."

"Heshtok… isn't that the Vorcha homeworld?" Eloa'Varis vas Thessia asked, the Quarian Biotic sounding a little shocked. "Isn't it just as bad as Tuchanka?"

"Pretty much, if not worse." Asha muttered darkly, to the bewilderment of others. "Yes, I've been to both planets. No, I don't want to talk about it." Royce and Elias looked at each other for a second, the Turian shrugging his shoulder after a moment. It wasn't important, now.

"Ok, everyone ready?" The Marine looked at everyone, seeing seven heads nodding in agreement. Everyone had their primary weapons out and ready, loaded to bear with weapons, grenades, and as many thermal clips as they could carry or stuff in spare bags. "This is how it's gonna work, people." Royce told the members of the Chaos Legion, looking at each. "Jeff's gonna fly us up pretty damn high; high enough that we won't even be a speck for the ground forces. Our door gunners are gonna provide any defense from Harvesters, but the idea is that at 55,000 feet, we're gonna jump." The Australian-born man looked into everyone's eye, seeing some doubt and fear in some of them. "The shuttle is gonna provide us with a distraction as we freefall; it's going to shoot and blast the Reapers below us, gettin' their attention as we drop unprotected. Our aim is the Command and Control Tower; we are _literally_ goin' to aim for the courtyard, and hit somewhere right by the front door, which Jeff will provide a targetin' vector and flight alterations on your HUD in your helmet's VI." Again, the Human Marine gave a pause, letting his words sink in. "The shuttle ain't fightin' the war for us. It will be hittin' the hoard in a direction that the Reapers won't be lookin' at us when we land, and two of our tech specialists will be immediately be working on the door lock as the rest of us will provide cover and covering fire in the meantime. It will be hairy, no lies there. We break in, clear the first room, and then seal the door behind us. Then we clear the rest of the buildin' out and find the Control room where Chorban will input the Enigma signal through the Reaper Tower, causing as many problems to the Reapers as possible. Any questions?"

"How are we getting back out?" Chorban, the Salarian researcher, asked, his voice curious. "How will the shuttle be picking us back up?"

"It won't be." The Vanguard Asha T'vara replied with finality, looking at the Salarian, who blanched a little. "We succeed or we die. At the very least, we will hold a Reaper structure, deny them its use, and disrupt any Reaper communications if we can, giving our allies any edge we can." That had everyone quiet. "The Reapers aren't just here; they're everywhere, or they soon will be. Sur'kesh, Thessia, Dekunna, Kahje, the Migrant Fleet, the Citadel… they may not have Reapers darkening their skies or scanners, but they will soon enough. Khar'shan's fallen, Earth is falling, and Palaven will fall eventually, and the Reapers will move on to other planets; other Homeworlds, other colonies, other outposts, until we are all wiped out. We have to stop them. We have to slow them down."

"She's right." Tech Specialist Elias Korvan added, his dual-toned voice neutral. "I haven't seen one act of mercy, one call for surrender, or one round of negotiations. They want to kill us all; the ultimate hate crime. It doesn't matter if it's here or there, now or later; they will keep hunting us down until we're exterminated, just like the Protheans before us. If I'm going to die, then I want to die kicking the Reapers in the _clochea_ in any way I can. This signal can do it, and we can do it. Batarians, Humans, and Turians are dying left and right. It's time that the Reapers do some dying back."

"There's not goin' to be any backin' away from this fight." Royce started up where the Turian sniper left off. "You can't run fast enough from these guys, and there ain't gonna be a hole deep enough for any of us to hide in. I've seen the reports, what these boondockers want to do with us. They want to raze our planets and take our people, liquifyin' them so that they can turn them into those big Reaper ships to replenish their numbers. But they are machines; they're not goin' to get tired or bored of huntin' us down. We are now all endangered species; our days are numbered. Yet every one that we bring down, is one less someone else has to shoot. Every difficulty we give them, is more time someone else has to get away and regroup and reload. Every loss that they feel is one more day of fightin' we've gain; to get the upper hand, to figure out a solution to survive. This is worth it, if not to us, then to someone else. Someone is goin' to make a stand against these bloody motherfuckers and tell them what's up. Let today be that day, and let it be us that made them choke. Are you all ready to do that?"

"**Yes, sir!**" Every one of the members of the Chaos Legion spoke as one, surprising Royce for a second. They were indeed ready to take on the Reapers, to not only stand for each of their Homeworlds and races, but amongst one another. The Australian-born man was more than touched by the sight; ten strangers among seven different races willing to fight alongside one another during what was unquestioningly the End of Days. He couldn't have ben prouder to be among his little Red Shirt Army, much less lead them. He was dead determined to lead them to success, to bring them back, and to make the fight _worth_ something. After all the loses they had seen against the Reapers, they could use a victory.

The UT-47A Kodiak rose into the air, lifting further from the moonscape of Menae, Captain Preitor Gavorn and Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius manning the side-mounted miniguns, ready to defend the shuttle as it prepared for its attack run. The shuttle rose quickly, the inertia dampeners kicking in to quell the queasiness that many in the Chaos Legion felt from the high-velocity altitude gain. The Kodiak continued to rocket upward, Royce seeing on his display by the door the altimeter gain in feet, the numbers speeding greater in amount as Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck continued the climb, full-throttling the ascent.

They reached 5,000 feet in little time as the number continued to grow, the moon of Menae drew further and further away from them. 10,000 feet hit and Royce could still see the mass of Reaper forces surrounding the Tower, though they looked more akin to a pile of ants as oppose to an enmassed fist of destruction; an act of violence waiting to happen, the ultimate hate crime poised. 15,000 feet, and the pile of Reapers resembled an angry dirt mound. At 20,000 feet, the various members of the Chaos Legion began masking or helmeting up as the breathable air and pressure began to drop to less-than optimal conditions.

Still the altimeter climbed, passing 25,000 feet as the shuttle rocket higher and higher, heading towards Lagrange Point 1 as Palaven began to rise enormously above them as the Kodiak began to touch the beginnings of outer space as it exited Menae's Troposphere and entered into the Stratosphere at 30,000 feet. The ascent neither stopped nor slowed as Royce found himself looking out at a magnificent bird's-eye view of the moonscape of the Turian moon, seeing hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of the rocky crags of Menae, seeing two kilometer Destroyers walking the moon's surface like crabs, their red beams of death punctuating the surface, undoubted killing friendly forces as the shuttled began to enter the Mesosphere at 35,000 feet. The Australian-born man worried that they might be getting close to the moon's Kármán Line, the traditional borderline between atmosphere and space for a celestial object when they approached 40,000 feet. He wasn't an astronomer, and he had no real idea how much further they could go before they reached Lagrange Point 1; the space between Menae and Palaven to successfully set up geocentrifical orbit, but he hoped they hadn't reached it yet when the altimeter read 45,000 feet. The N6's battle suit doubled as a extravehicular suit for space operations, keeping him pressurized as he breathed in pure oxygen, thankful that Palaven had no nitrogen to burst in his blood as the shuttle breached 50,000 feet. The Kodiak's altimeter slowed its rise, the inertia dampeners kicking in as the counter slowed at 54,995… 54,996… 54,997… 54,998… 54,999…

55,000.

_Gravity, don't fail me now!_ Royce thought as eight bodies immediately exited the craft, aiming straight moonward, like an express elevator to hell; going down.

A/N: Thank you, Wikipedia, for your wonderful information on the Lagrange Points, the multispheres of a celestial body, and the mathematics of a HALO jump. And yes, I purposefully ignored the nitrogen worries of a HALO jump so I wouldn't have to figure out about the bends and its effects on multiple species.


	18. Chapter 18

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 18 - A Suicide You Can Walk Away From, Day 4 Late Afternoon

Freefall. Defined as falling while horizontal to a parallel plane; in this case, the moon of Menae. The minuscule atmosphere of the Mesosphere rushed by Lieutenant Royce Mason's head as his body obtained fifty percent of terminal velocity within three seconds of leaving the Alliance shuttle craft, the Kodiak now flying past them in an attempt to beat them downward as the eight members of the Chaos Legion fell towards the moon at a speed of 27 meters per second. They continued to fall, their arms and legs splayed outward spread eagle as the eight jumpers formed a circular pattern, their Jump Belts keeping them within a few feet of one another as Royce had his telemetry data up on his helmets' Heads-Up Display, giving him a vector to the target as they reached the eight second mark of their jump, now having hit ninety percent of terminal velocity, falling at 49 meters per second. The wind continued to buffet the Human Marine's body as they continued to fall, reaching maximum terminal velocity in fifteen seconds, free-falling at a speed of 54 meters per second.

Royce's VI updated on his HUD that their Time-On-Target at 299 seconds; just shy of five minutes until impact.

Despite his armor and suit being made for dealing with the rigors of space, fluctuation of heat and cold, keeping his pressurization equilibrium equalized, and being put to the test through the fires of combat, the Australian could feel the wind slapping at him like a constant giants' hand pummeling him, pressing up against him, as if wind and air pressure wanted to keep him from falling to his demise. His eyes focused on the readouts that his HUD was giving him, the N6 made slight variations in his course, following the highlighted suggested path that would take him and his team to the specified location that they would drop on, the others linked into his Jump Belt. When he shifted course, the others would shift with him, their Jump Belt keeping them within the same distance from him, keeping all of them aligned with his target. He had input the setting when he had checked all their belt, knowing that he was the only one with such experience with jumping from either aircraft or spacecraft, save perhaps the Batarian known as Commander Garm Jor'radah; Special Intervention Unit Agents were known for some of their more unconventional tactics.

Along with the sounds of the rushing winds as they dived deeper into the atmosphere, Royce could hear the sounds of each of the members of his unit, as well as a small readout of each of their vitals. Chorban had given him the information, and thankfully had interfaced it with a baseline of each of their individual species, so that he could read their physiology in comparison with a healthy member of their own kind. So when he saw that the Salarian researcher Chorban had a heart rate reaching almost 200 beats a minute, Royce saw that it was demographically only moderately elevated for a normal Salarian; the lizard seemed to be enjoying himself. He had been more worried about the two non-military members of his unit, Chorban and Eloa'Varis vas Thessia, yet it surprised him more to see that it was the Vanguard Asha T'vara who had the most alarming readout of the eight jumpers; her heart rate was statistically through the roof.

"Asha, listen to me." Royce said over the comm after selecting it to a one-on-one setting, talking only to the Asari. "Asha, your heart rate is through the roof compared to a baseline Asari. You're peggin' at… 84 beats a minute." The Australian's voice hitched at the readout; that was almost more than triple an Asari's heartrate? 84 wasn't bad for a Human standing and breathing. "Slow your breathin', 'gel."

"_I… I can't!"_ The Asari moaned weakly, the pulse of her heart rate on the Human's HUD continuing to climb upward. _"I've never been this high before! I… I think I'm afraid of heights!"_

"You afraid of flying?" Royce asked, trying to keep his voice optimistic, doing his best not to sound concerned or scared himself. Everyone he had ever jumped with had had several jumps under their belt, and this marked the first time with a first-time faller. He heard a grunt from the Biotic, indicating that she wasn't. "You got birds in Thessia, right? Ever have one that you liked to watch?"

"_A… a _Markhoy!_"_ The Vanguard replied in a rush, her stats somewhat leveling out on Royce's helmet monitor. _"They use to nest in a tree where I grew up in A'lania!"_

"Is it a big bird or a little bird?" The Marine asked, keeping her talking and thinking about anything else other than falling. "Does it have feathers and plumbs? What colors does it have? Does it whistle? Sing? Chirp?"

"_It's… it's small! With fast wings and fine feathers, like human hair!"_ Asha answered, her gulping breaths audible in Royce's comm unit. _"It's blue, with a green underbelly! It has a plumb of a tail that trails behind it for several feet, and small legs and feet! It sings in the mornings with the dawn, where it gets its' name, 'Dawn Singer'! It has a very beautiful voice, and I loved listening to them when I was a child living with my mother! My mother wasn't so pleased with them… they would eat the fruit berries in her garden!"_ The heart beat that represented Asha leveled off in the high-90's, still alarming for an Asari, and Royce hoped that she didn't tach out; the point where someone's heart literally seized in their chest in a heart attack finality.

"You're goin' to have to show me them when we're done with this, 'gel." Royce told her, pulling his eyes from their holographically-mapped route, looking at the Asari woman, seeing that she was looking at him as well. "All's Australia's got are warblers and rock vultures; truly hideous birds that sound like someone's stranglin' a Salarian." That earned him a snort from the Vanguard. "Eden Prime didn't have much in the way of birds, either; just some little puffball with wings that pooped white streaks on everythin'." Royce looked back down and made another course correction, seeing that they had been falling for 130 seconds; less than three minutes to go. "Can you whistle its song for me, Asha? Can you sing like a _Markhoy_? I'd like to hear what a Thessian bird sounds like."

"_I… I can… I can do that."_ The Asari replied, and there was a pause. The pause was long and pregnant, and at first, Royce thought she might have passed out or that terror had taken over her. Then, he heard a sound that wasn't apart of the buffeting wind that battered against him and his suit; a sound that sounded like a single note, high and sweet, with neither a warble or a drop. The note held for a good five seconds before it changed to a lower octave, wavering between a sharp and a flat before dying off. It came again a few seconds later, this time a high soprano, higher in range than the previous, yet the same melody; it dropped again and warbled before falling silent. The third call surprised Royce with its high pitch, possibly near the end of the scope of Human hearing, completing an aria as it ended ten seconds later. The whole time, the Human Marine watched as Asha's pulse slowly began to sink into the low-80's, still near its extreme range but slowly sinking lower. Her respirations had calmed significantly, and her heart rate following. The threat of tachycardia now lessened, Royce chanced another look at the Asari Vanguard, seeing how she was still looking at him; he was pretty sure she had never looked away.

"That was beautiful, 'gel." Royce complimented her, and had no need to hide his appreciation in his voice. "I can't imagine what that must be like, waking up to that song every day. Kinda envious, really."

"_Then I guess I'm going to have to let you experience it for yourself one of these days, Royce."_ Asha T'vara told the Human, her stats still slowly returning to normal as the panicking breathing subsided. _"You should wake up one day at my home, listening to such a melody. It is… quite exquisite. I think you'll find yourself enjoying a visit." _

"I'm sure I'll have no problems enjoyin' a visit, if you really think I'm the 'bring-home-to-mother' type." The Human teased slightly, making the Vanguard gasp slightly, obviously realizing what she had said, and what it implied. Royce could swear he could almost hear the Asari blush through the comm unit, and he had to fight hard against chuckling. Had her to the pins, he did.

"_My mother… would not mind, I think."_ The Daughter of Thessia allowed slowly, her tone as neutral as possible. _"I'll admit, I never brought someone with the thoughts of permanency. It would undoubtedly please her."_

"And here I thought I would have to worry about somebody's _father_ giving me scowls and hard eyes for being interested in their daughter while alluding to firearm proficiency." Royce chuckled, Asha's echoing his own. "Instead, I'm probably goin' to have a Matriarch work my brain over like puddin' for every deep, dark, dirty little secret of mine while describin' to me the benefits of a Singularity and Warp combo. So much better."

The Human Marine looked at the counter displayed on his HUD, and saw that the free-fallers had but thirty seconds to go. Already the ground was looming closer, the Reaper forces below them becoming more defined with each passing second. Royce could see the Kodiak had already reached their intended destination, rockets lighting up a portion of the massed enemy at the outer edge of the horde, turing the mutated beings attention towards something else other than the eight falling figures directly above them. "So you sayin' that I'm boyfriend material, Asha?"

"_Don't know yet, Royce. Only one real way to find out."_ The Vanguard replied, her stats still elevated yet within more acceptable levels. _"That is, if you don't mind seeing yourself with a blue woman."_

"It's different, but in a good way." Royce replied, meaning it. "I'm willin' to give it a shot if you are, 'gel."

"_Only if we survive your suicide drop, and walk away from it."_

Fifteen seconds to go.

"Ten seconds, everyone!" The N6 said to his comm unit after switching it so that everyone could hear him. The Reapers were easily distinguishable from their distance now, as the Tower was almost below them. The Marine had been aiming for the courtyard that existed around the Command and Control Tower, the original defensive position for the building before it had been overrun by the Reapers. A few of the Reaper forces existed inside the wall, broken through in one location; right where Royce was aiming. Ten seconds before impact, the Jump Belts activated, employing Mass Effect fields upon the wearers, reducing their speeds as the eight jumpers hurtled towards the moon. They went from the terminal velocity of 54 meters per second to 3 meters a second in a matter of a few seconds time, shutting off at the last second, where there was but a two meter drop to the moonscape of Menae.

They had landed right on target, in a circular formation, right on top of the Reapers without them knowing it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 19 - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Day 4 Late Afternoon

The eight members of the Chaos Legion, upon landing, wasted no time taking full advantage of the situation as everyone pulled out a gun, or in Lieutenant Royce Mason's case, activated the spinning barrels of his Vulcan chaingun. The seven Husks that had occupied the small courtyard were quickly and expertly taken out within the span of a breath as Royce aimed Old Painless right at the breach in the wall where a Brute had undoubtedly plowed through before. He opened up with the chaingun, firing eighteen rounds a second through the breech in a short, sweeping pattern, the Jorgal Krogan and Commander Garm Jor'radah immediately joining by his side with their assault rifles out and aiming at the obvious weakness in their defenses; the merc with his M76 Revenant, and the Batarian with his M33 Terminator. Krogan, Human, and Batarian began shooting anything that moved on the other side of the wall's hole as Chief Stacy Valentino, Eloa'Varis vas Thessia, and Asha T'vara backed up the three men buying them precious seconds, the three Biotic women providing a barrier for the three shooters while Chorban and Tech Specialist Elias Korvan went to work on the door that led into the Tower, working on hacking the lock.

"Chorban! Elias! Whatever you're doin'? Break records doin' it!" Royce shouted as he mowed through a patch of Marauders that were sprinting for the breech, dropping a dozen of them in a matter of seconds. Husks and Cannibals began piling towards the hole, but for the moment, the automatic fire from the Krogan, the Batarian, and the Human held the Reapers at bay. Each of the Biotics added their own gunfire as well, employing their submachine guns to give the N6 a chance to cool down his heat sink-reliant weapon, buying him precious seconds for the spinning barrels to radiate heat away from the heavy weapon. Four seconds later, he began his suppression campaign again, firing in a burst pattern to keep his weapon ready and able to fire for as long as possible. Garm and the Krogan reloaded their rifles again and again with thermal clips as Royce continued butchering the Reapers that appeared in view of the hole, killing them both near and far as Eloa cried out a warning; some of the Husks had begun to climb the defense wall. Asha took two out with one of her M9 Tempests while Chief Valentino knocked down another with a Biotic Throw. Rounds were starting to ping off the Barrier that Eloa was forced to maintain single-handedly as the Biotic Vanguard and the Human Sentinel started perforating more Husks that were scaling over the wall to avoid Royce's Vulcan, Garm adding his rounds to the wall's top to keep the multiplying Husks from coming over.

"CHORBAN! UNLOCK THAT BLOODY DOOR, NOW! I DON'T CARE HOW!" Royce shouted, his voice loud enough that he didn't need his comm unit as the six of them began to back up slowly, a step at time. The hole in the wall broiled with Reaper forces, like a tide being pushed back by the finger of death that came from the M320 Vulcan cannon. Like a dam ready to burst, the press of Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders was proving to be too great for Royce and the Krogan merc to hold back with their weapons, the corpses of Reapers littering the front of the breech like a small hill as Husks began dropping from over the wall, landing on the inside of the perimeter as Asha, Stacy, and Garm kept shooting at the ones who hadn't made it over the top yet. Eloa snarled something in Quarian that didn't translate as she pulled out a M81 Raikou and shot three of the Husks in succession, keeping them back if not killing them. The suited Biotic dropped the Barrier as she pulled out her M44 Kimber submachine gun in her other hand and put a two-round burst in each of the Husks that began to infiltrate the compound, alternating which guns she was shooting with as she dealt with the threat duel-wielding. Royce gave her a quick assist by performing a sprinkler; he mowed from left to right quickly with his Vulcan, blasting the seven Husks that were starting to approach the six shooters, blasting them into chunks of organic material and cybernetic parts before focusing back onto the breech.

They were being overrun.

Royce felt himself backing up to a wall, and a quick glance showed him that all eight of them were now standing right next to the Command and Control Tower; their backs were to the wall, literally. Reapers were pouring out of the hole in the wall, the Marine's chaingun no longer enough to keep them back as Sentinel, mercenary, SIU Agent, Vanguard, and suited Adept kept pouring gunfire and Biotics into the hoard, desperately trying to keep their position from being overrun. Royce felt a round clip his shoulder, his shields dulling the impact and keeping out the worse of the shock as another hit him in the thigh, this time the impact straight on. His shields, again, took the worse out of it, but more rounds were coming towards them as Garm gave off a grunt, having to fire his Terminator one-handed as Asha erected a Barrier with one hand, trying to deflect as much as she could.

"CHORBAN!"

"Door's open!" The Salarian cried out, and not a moment too soon as Husks and Cannibals were within meters of the door. Without a word, the members of the Chaos Legion piled into the doorway, Royce going for broke as he fired full-tilt boogie at the Reapers, trying to hit as many as possible while moving backwards without being able to see where he was going at the same time. Three separate Singularities appeared right at the forefront of the mass of Reapers, slowing many of them down while lifting up several in the wake of the dark, spinning spheres of dark energy. Knowing what it meant, Royce felt his Vulcan finally overheat as he turned and dove for the door just a few short feet from him.

"Hit 'em hard!"

Vanguard Asha T'vara responded by throwing two Biotic Throws at the two outer Singularities while Eloa'Varis vas Thessia shot out a Warp at the central one. The result was catastrophic; three Biotic detonations exploded with the force of several kiloNeutons, not only halting the advance of the Reapers, but tearing out a healthy-sized gouge from the advancing forces. Elias Korvan wasted no time reaching the doors control panel, closing the metal door to barricade them from the enemy. He then employed a very non-tech solution to keep the Reapers from possibly hacking the door open by pulling out his M6 Carnifex and putting a shot right through the control panel. Royce could hear the seals of the door locking into place as mechanical rods dropped down, locking the door tight from where they had just come in. If the Reapers wanted in, they were going to have to tear through the walls of a Turian military bunker building in order to do so. That would take them time; time enough, hopefully, to reach the Tower's control room.

"Area secure?" Royce asked, finally turning around from his near-death experience. "Everyone alright." Almost everyone answered in the affirmative.

The only voice that had been missing was Chorban's.

The N6 looked at the Salarian researcher, seeing the specialist holding onto the portion of his body that he assumed was his stomach. The Salarian's eyes seemed to be jerking around a little bit, as if he were trying to look at multiple places at once as Royce noticed a dark, oozing, green blood coming from underneath the researchers' right hand. It seemed that everyone noticed the same thing at once as a hush filled the room, everyone looking down to where Chorban's hand was holding, then up to the researcher's face, shock still evident on the Salarians' face.

"God damn it!" Chief Stacy Valentino swore as she moved forward, getting a hold of Chorban and easing him back on the ground as the Salarian began to whimper, the shock wearing off as the pain of his injury began to make itself known to him. The Sentinel, trained in combat aid like any other Alliance soldier, immediately tore off a MediGel pack from her right thigh, ripping the red bag apart at its perforated seam to expose its medicinal contents.

"Elias, Eloa." Royce cleared his throat, getting the attention of the Turian and the Quarian. "The two of you peek your heads out of the door leadin' out of here and see if anything is moving. Garm, Jorgal Clan, you two push through the immediate vicinity and get me an update of the status of this Tower. This is a recon; I want info, not a firefight." The four of them, thankfully, acknowledged his orders and followed them, moving out of the small room that the Chaos Legion found itself in and through the only door that led out of it, the Turian and Quarian going one direction while the Batarian and the Krogan went another. Asha, thankfully, needed no instructions as she pulled out one of her M77 Paladins and stood guard as Royce bent down to help Stacy Valentino as she gave Chorban emergency aid.

"Don't know enough about Salarian biology, Royce," Stacy talked as her hands went through the MediGel's supplies, pulling out the painkiller applicator first and injecting Chorban's arm with it before tossing it aside, "but if Salarian organs are in the same place as Humans, he's taken a shot in the guts." The Sentinel then went for the disinfectant, ripping open the small package and shaking out the white powder right over the wound after Royce moved the researcher's hand. Chorban shook a little, his breath coming in fast and hard, obviously trying not to scream out in pain as the Chief took out a plastic tube filled with pinkish paste and bit the end of it off with her mouth, squeezing out the blood coagulant that it contained right over the dark hole that oozed out dark green blood that was in the Salarian's abdominal region. Next came a sealant strip, in which the Human Sentinel peeled the waxy paper off the clear strip and laid over the wound, acting as a temporary scab to prevent any more debris or bacteria getting into the site of the wound. Then came the dressing in its plastic wrapping, a compress bandage lined with sterile gauze that was heavily medicated with complex amino-acids, vitamins, and nutrients to help beat off infection, accelerate healing, and curb any possible necrosis, septicemia, and contamination. Stacy pressed the bandage over Chorban's stomach as the Salarain moaned, his dark eyes fluttering as she pulled out the last item from the pack; an IV bag filled with fluids and a compound gel known as HemoAid, a volumizer that would help replenish lost fluids, aid in the making of more blood cells, and a booster complex to ward off any possible environmental infections, not to mention a mild anastalgic narcotic to help numb the pain.

"God damn it, Chorban." Royce muttered, seeing the Salarian obviously still fighting pain from the round that had been shot in his guts. "Stacy, I know you're not a trained medic, but I need you to keep Chorban alive in any way possible. I know fuck-all about this Tower, and we've got no idea what might still be in here. I'm going to leave Elias and Eloa'Veris with you and Chorban to protect him, and to carry him when we reach the Control Room. The rest of us will clear out this damn Tower and find where the Reaper Control Center is."

"Understood, Lieutenant. Good hunting." The Sentinel replied with a nod of her head, the Texan's drawl indicating that she would do as he asked. The N6 Marine called for the Turian sniper and the Quarian Adept, and told them the situation and what he expected of them. The two of them understood well, and Royce stood up from Chorban's side, Asha attaching herself to him as they met Garm and the Krogan merc at the door leading away from the wounded Salarian and the three that would undoubtedly carry him the rest of the way.

"Clearing out the Tower?" The Batarian SIU Commander asked, his M33 Terminator switched out for a M12 Raider; a Batarian favorite for quick, dirty work. The Krogan had his M300 Claymore out, a devastating weapon for close-quarters battle. Royce nodded, answering Garm Jor'radah. "We saw about a dozen gunned-down Turian bodies in the few rooms we peaked in. They fought back hard, but I doubt they stopped whatever was inside, otherwise we would have met them in the front room."

"Almost hate to see what crawled in and pushed back against Turians in a defensive position." Asha replied, now cradling one of her M9 Tempests, much more suited for indoor shooting. "It'll either be strong, numerous, or both."

"Agreed." Royce answered, collapsing his M320 Vulcan. The barrels cut in half midway down their length, and the more forward position turned enough so that it slid alongside the lower portion of the barrels, while the handguard, trigger, and cycling motor pulled into the weapon, shrinking it down to 60% of its original size. Sliding the heavy weapon on his back, between the M8 Avenger and his M96 Mattock, the Human Marine pulled out his M27 Scimitar and shouldering it. "The moon, like fate, is a harsh mistress; let's go show it what a shotgun blast to the face looks like."


	20. Chapter 20

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 20 - Brains Before Bullets, Day 4, Early Evening

Urban Combat and Warfare Training; probably the most intense form of fighting that Lieutenant Royce Mason had ever had the displeasure of mastering. It was a course that they taught in Basic, and then improved up in training. In N school, a candidate had to run through several doorkicker scenarios without a break, as it was one of the most exhausting forms of combat out there. Back when it had just been humanity, it had been known as Battle Drill 6a, where a team would stack on a door and kick it in, violently entering the room with weapons trained and fingers on the trigger. Now with aliens with Biotics, aliens that could regen, and aliens with better technology, Humanity found itself losing in the arms and tactics race. A hundred scenarios had been run by the best warriors, and watched by military strategists, until a solution for one of the most fearsome forms of combat could be accomplished against any foe in a building.

The tactic was simple; open the door, throw in a grenade, shoot anything that survived said grenade.

They didn't have enough grenades, but they did have a Krogan.

The first floor of the Command and Control Tower had been bereft of anything living, but corpses they had plenty of in the many rooms and corridors of the ground floor. Turian bodies and blue blood sprinkled the floor plan that Royce was creating on his OmniTool, using it to both mark everywhere that they had checked, and help see if there was anything that they were missing. It seemed that the Turians that once held the Tower had been defending it to the very last man, which made sense for Turians, but something nagged in Royce's mind. The spots in which one or two defenders had perished at, the amount of gunfire it seemed to have taken them down, and the fact that the bodies were still there as oppose to taken or Reaperfied suggested something else.

Plus, they hadn't found one single enemy body.

"What the hell were the Turians firing at?" Commander Garm Jor'radah asked no one in particular, his tone confused as his four eyes scanned one choke point; a hasty defensive wall at the end of a corridor manned by three Turians that the littering bullet holes in the walls suggested that they had been defending the spot with extreme prejudice. All three Turians were dead, seemingly mauled to death, and there wasn't any blood or bodies down the defended corridor to suggest that the Turians were able to stop or slow down whatever they had been shooting at. Royce, Garm, the Krogan merc, and Asha T'vara all took turns looking at one another, and at the sight of the three eviscerated sons of Palaven. It spoke volumes that the four of them couldn't figure out whatever it was that three Turians had been firing at and couldn't die.

"Eyes open, ears open." The N6 quietly told the Batarian, Krogan and Asari, each of them nodding in agreement. "We still need to find the Control Room, and we have no idea if it's on this floor, or one of the ones above us. Keep it slow and quiet, and hopefully we don't run into… whatever the hell that thing is." The Human Marine told them, and only the Krogan looked bitter about; undoubtedly the merc was excited about the prospect of killing something apparently undefeatable, but the Australian-born man wasn't taking such chances. Not when they had something that could potentially swing the war in their favor. "Let's move out."

The four members of the Chaos Legion stalked down the hallways of the Tower in a diamond formation; the Krogan in the lead, with Garm and Royce a few steps behind and to either side, and finally the Asari Vanguard to cover their rear and to add any Biotic artillery if needed. The N6 figured that even though he hadn't seen any evidence of what the Turians had been killed by, it was almost guaranteed that none of them were able to launch any type of Biotic attack against the enemy, Turian Biotics being both very rare and very disapproved of by the Turian population in general. One wouldn't see a Turian Biotic in support of a platoon, like they might with a Human platoon, or a Krogan _krantt_ if one were a Battlemaster. Royce was operating on the option that whatever guns couldn't do against their unknown assailant, Biotics might do the trick. That, and a good deal of high-end ordinance that they all carried as well. The four of them went through every one of the dozen corridors, and all of the rooms, and all that they found were Turian bodies, numbering perhaps forty, all having fought back to the very last. They still hadn't found any evidence of what they were firing at, and the scans that everyone was doing with their OmniTools and sending to Royce's wasn't painting any better picture; they had no idea of size, weight, capabilities, or numbers. Royce had the floor plan completed, and each of the sixty-plus rooms had been checked-off with no surprising gaps in the floor plan to suggest secret rooms or escape tunnels. They had found a door leading to a staircase, and the four of them headed there to proceed on after Royce updated Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, Chief Stacy Valentino, and Eloa'Varis vas Thessia on both their progress, and what they had found.

They went up the stairs, cleared of enemy but not of bodies, and found that the staircase went only to the second floor and no further; a good defensive plan to keep an enemy from overrunning the building as quickly. Royce found himself stepping over Turian bodies while going up the flight of stairs. Blue blood was everywhere, and the faces of the bodies of the sons of Palaven suggested to Royce that they hadn't died calm or angry.

The Human Marine couldn't shake the suggestion that they had died screaming in fear.

"Is it just me, or do these bodies seem… fresher?" Asha inquired, looking at the other three, who looked back at her. "It's just an impression." The four of them spent a second or two looking at one another when the Krogan mercenary bent down to one of the corpses and took a few experimental sniffs. The Jorgal Krogan stood up for a moment, his red eyes closed as he seemed to ponder it before eyes eyes opened, focusing on the Asari Vanguard and nodding his head in agreement.

"Within the last half-hour." The merc told them, credence to the apex predator species of Tuchanka about their olfactory sense known to all three of them. It was even used for a popular tagline for an Asari perfume, Nova Orchard; _even a Krogan couldn't tell the difference!_ It was one of those funny few things that everyone seemed to take for granted when it came to Counsel and non-Counsel races, no matter if the races got along with one another or not. Put a Quarian in the room, and everyone will assume that he's a thief and a brilliant hacker. Take a Salarian, and one would be expecting him to be computing Pi to the one millionth place while trying to uplift a carnivorous species. Throw a Turian in the mix and he'll be standing guard while putting everyone else down. Some of the racial, racist beliefs had their nuggets of truth, though it usually didn't benefit anyone in the long run. Trusting the Jorgal merc's nose was easy enough for the other three, as their olfactory senses were nowhere nearly as developed as the Krogan, and they easily took him at his word. "I smell something else on him; something I haven't smelled before. Whatever it is, it wasn't multiple species."

"So… a type of Reaper we haven't seen before." Royce defined for everyone, the Krogan nodding his large head. "Brilliant. That just bloody well fondles my cockles. Let's continue clearin' up this next floor and see if we can locate that Control Room."

The four-person team of the Chaos Legion went up the stairs and entered into the second floor of the Command and Control Tower, finding no surprises; more dead Turians. Though the floor seemed significantly smaller than the ground floor, the amount of fallen sons of Palaven was a good deal more than the previous floor, perhaps triple the amount. It was hard to believe that a company-sized element of Turians could be wiped out in such a defensive position; none seemed to have been flanked or outmaneuvered, none had run away, and they had all died facing and firing upon their enemy. It made no sense to Royce; the second floor was perhaps half the size of the first, and had three times as many defenders, yet whatever had attacked the Turians had devastated them. The fact that there were no enemy corpses was what scared the Human Marine; it was obvious that the enemy hadn't been invisible, telling by the many gunshots in the surrounding walls, and it had come straight for them. What could have survived so many shooting at it? The Australian-born man didn't think it was a Brute; he had seen them taken down by small arms, usually a lot, but a hallway murderhole and a few Turians should have been able to do the trick eventually. The fact that they had encountered over a hundred and fifty dead Turians and hadn't seen one dead enemy body boded nothing good for them, the N6 thought as the Krogan merc kicked in a random door, finding nothing of interest inside.

They cleared the second floor without finding the Control Room. Or the one responsible for so many dead Turians.

"Not that I have any love for the Turians," Garm said to no one in particular, holding his M12 Radier close to his chest, "but this is disconcerting. These weren't cheap freelance mercs from the Terminus; these are Turian military veterans, too young or too proud to get out, armed with good equipment and good armor. What could be killing them all?"

"Somethin' big. Bigger than a Krogan, if I had to guess." Royce replied, looking at a last stand of about half-a-dozen Turians, looking as if they had been hit by a freight train. It took blood spatters from where they originally stood to realize that they had been standing shoulder-to-shoulder, firing upon their attacker when it had, for lack of better term, bowled them over, flinging them so hard against the hallway walls that it killed them. Turians weren't cowards, but the Marine was surprised that they hadn't found one survivor; not one who might have made it out injured, or one ordered to hide to pass on the message to whomever came. Seeing each son of Palaven torn and broken was a sobering sight, and Royce found himself looking at Asha, who looked both sorrowful and angry. "My guess is that whatever it is, it must be invulnerable at the front, which is why it isn't dead yet. Maybe Barriers and Tech Shields together; who knows? We get a glimpse at this thin', we pull back and figure out tactics before we tackle it. Brains before bullets."

"I suggest the chaingun, then." The Krogan merc said simply.

"My thoughts exactly." The Australian-born man replied.


	21. Chapter 21

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 21 - Does This Chaingun Make Me Look Pretty?, Day 4 Early Evening

Third floor of the Command and Control Tower, and the four members of the Chaos Legion heard a noise that echoed through the halls of an otherwise dead building.

"Shit." Lieutenant Royce Mason muttered when he heard an angry cry from deeper in the Turian military building that they were clearing, the deep tone of hatred reverberating off the metal walls of the Tower. Royce found himself looking at the Vanguard Asha T'vara, Commander Garm Jor'radah, and the Jorgal Krogan merc, all four of them exchanging looks as they turned their heads in the direction that the cry came from. Without a word being spoken, all four of them pulled out the heaviest weapon that they owned, preparing to fight against an unknown adversary. Garm had borrowed a T24 Phaeston from a dead Turian, while Asha shouldered her M15 Vindicator, readying her left hand with Biotics. The Krogan had his M76 Revenant in one hand, with his Phaeston in the other, while Royce simply pulled out his M320 Vulcan, Old Painless extending to combat configuration. None of them knew what they might be facing, but they were aiming to give it hell.

"Elias, Eloa, Stacy," the N6 Marine called out on the comm unit, putting him in contact with the rest of the team on the ground floor, "whatever killed all the Turians here seems to be on the third floor." Another cry came from down the hallway, just as loud as the first, though by no means anywhere closer. "And it sounds pissed as fuck."

"_Copy, Royce."_ Tech Specialist Elias Korvan replied in the Australian's earpiece. _"You want us to stay put, or can we have fun, too?"_

"Stay put. We have no idea what it is, save that it's chopped its way through a company-sized element of Turians." The Human Marine answered. "I'm not sure that more guns will be the answer to this one. And we need Chorban alive more than we need you dead."

"_Love it when a Human talks dirty to me."_ The Turian joked, earning a guffaw from the Batarian SIU Agent and a shaking head from the Asari Vanguard, obviously hearing the Tech Specialists' response over the comms. _"Chief Valentino kindly reminds you that Chorban does have a bullet in his gut, and will need proper medical attention, sooner rather than later. She also said something about not having a 'tampons'. I don't get the reference, so it must be a Human thing."_

"I got what she means." The N6 replied, chuckling, knowing exactly what Chief Stacy Valentino was referencing to; an impromptu battlefield dressing of a gunshot wound learns many wars ago was to stuff a tampon in the wound to stem the bleeding and seal the void left by the bullets' passage. All the medical technology and advancements of the 22th century, and band-aids were still the most commonly used item for military personnel, as the most common injury was usually just cuts and scrapes. "Tell her to keep doing what she can, and we'll keep doing what we can, and hopefully we can get to the Control Room and activate this signal so we can call us a rescue squad. Until then, we're stuck."

"_Understood, Lieutenant."_ The Turian replied, and Royce heard the other end of the comm unit close off, signaling the end of the conversation.

"I like me a good hunt." The Krogan said to the group, giving everyone a healthy smile. "Reminds me of me Passage. A few Klixiks, some Varren packs, and a small Thresher Maw. Good times." The merc seemed to remember the event fondly while Asha made a gagging face. "And what did you do for your Rite, Asari? Spin around a stripper pole a few times in front of some leering Batarians before being taken back to their hotel room?"

"Not at all." The Vanguard smiled sweetly as she began to glow Biotically. "I tore off a Krogan's head plate with a knife after he mistaken my Commando uniform for a stripper's getup." That had the Krogan merc quiet, and dangerously so.

"I have a feelin' I don't want to know the rest of _that_ story." Royce said, the Batarian nodding in agreement. The Human Marine had heard it from one of the Turian Blackwatch members that the most surefire way to piss off or scare a Krogan was to threaten to rip off their head plate. Royce didn't understand the significance of it, other than it was a carapace that grew to cover the more tender spots of a Krogan's physiology. Perhaps, to a Krogan, it was a manhood thing, like a codpiece. "Let's focus on the gigantic species of killer robots that are tryin' to exterminate every one of us as oppose to buttin' heads with one another. Reapers ain't goin' to care about your cowtippin' stories back when you were knee-high to a kangaroo." That had all three of them looking at the Australian-born man quizzically; obviously nobody's translators worked with that little idiom. "Get in, kill the big bad, and turn the Reaper Tower into a suicide note. Anyone got any issues with that?" Royce looked at the three members of the Chaos Legion with him, the N6 holding his Vulcan cannon suggestively, implying that he would use it if necessary. Thankfully, it looked like tempers were, for the most part, cooled off enough that everyone was more focused on the real threat. "Clan Jorgal, take the lead, and head us towards that thin'. Asha, be ready to Throw or Pull or somethin' fancy in case it gets the jump on us. Takin' a stand against this thin' might get us killed, so be fluid if we encounter whatever the hell it is. Questions?" Royce's tone implied that there had better not have been any, and to his relief, no question were asked. "Let's go kill us a badass Reaper, Jorgal."

"It's Thrak." The Krogan finally said after was appeared to be a moments' consideration. That had Asha and Royce look at one another in silence. They had known the Krogan for a couple days now, and this was the first time he had ever mentioned his name. "If this is a hunt, then we are a _krantt_. If we are a _krantt_, then you've earned the right to know my name."

"Ok… Jorgal Thrak." The N6 acknowledged, nodding to the Krogan. "Can we go kill the Reapers now? I ain't carryin' this big-ass chaingun because it makes me look pretty."

The four members of the Chaos Legion began to clear the third floor, finding it mostly deprived of everything; there were only a few corpses to see, and the intensity of the fight seemed to be that Turians had only been left with support troops on the upper levels, having expended all their soldiers on the lower levels. Royce looked upon one stone-faced Turian with red face paint, having only been dressed in Agent Light Armor and armed with what appeared to be a M81 Raikou pistol. His partner, brown-faced with white markings, was in old Predator Light Armor, and holding an equally old M3 Predator. The N6 was a little shocked to see that the Predator was old-gen; it still ran off of heat sinks. The Human Marine bent down and picked up the pistol, placing it on a spare hard point on his left bicep. A gun was a gun, after all.

The four of them had cleared a good portion of the third floor when they heard the angry cry again, this time louder and closer, echoing off the metal walls. None of them said a word as the cry howled throughout the corridor that they were in, each of them stepping towards the walls and closer to a door in case they had to dive into a room to avoid being run over by whatever occupied the same floor as them. Royce was almost certain that they were on the same floor, though he couldn't say that the Control Room was as well.

"Let's take this fucker." Royce decided, making his opinion known. "At the least, we have the element of surprise, and we can hit it at its' back."

"Agreed." The Krogan replied, and the Australian-born man watched as both Batarian and Asari nodded in consent. Thrak moved down the hallway at a fast pace, now armed with a purpose, with the N6, SIU Agent, and Vanguard following right behind the merc. The howl came again as they moved down the corridor, reaching a T-section when the Krogan held up a closed fist, signaling for them to stop. The howl went on for a good five seconds, though there was nothing else to identify what the source was, or what was causing it. Royce had no doubt in his mind that the howler was the same thing that killed all the Turians that had occupied the building, responsible for something like a hundred a seventy-five deaths. Due to the volume of the cry, the Marine assumed that it would be at least as large as a Krogan, and probably as fierce. It made him think of the Brutes that they had encountered before, especially in the gully. He could see one of those tearing up a good number of men in a hallway, though he was shocked to see that it hadn't fallen in battle. If it really were a Brute, the N6 knew that he could hold it off with his M320 Vulcan with little worries; as long as it wasn't right in his face at the get-go, it was a battle he was sure he could win single-handedly. What truly concerned him was that it was something different, something worse than a Krogan or a Reaper-mutated Krogan known as a Brute. The hallway was more than big enough for a Brute; it could fit something larger and nastier.

"The smell's getting stronger." Thrak said quietly, indicating to his right; the direction of the howler. The Krogan looked back slightly, his right eye looking back at the Human Marine who led them, the silent question coming up; _do we go that way or not?_ Royce nodded his head once. He wasn't looking forward to facing the unknown foe, but he had to know what it was in order to figure out how to beat it, or at least stall it to where Elias Korvan, Eloa'Varis, and Stacy Valentino could get Chorban to the Control Room in relative safety if they absolutely had to hold of the Reaper beast in order to make the signal work. Royce had no idea how much longer the Salarian researcher had with a round buried in his belly, so they were going to have to do it soon if they wanted any chance of making it work. The Krogan moved to the right of the T-corridor, Royce, Asha, and Garm following the Krogan merc as he walked down the short hallway, both his Revenant and Phaeston out and ready to fire. Another cry came out again, the time accompanied by a strange thumping noise; almost like a fist on a door. That had Royce pause for a second as his mind whirred with realization.

The Reaper-thing was trying to knock down a barricade.

"Whatever's up there," the Marine said to the others quickly and quietly, "sounds like some Turians barricaded themselves in, and it's tryin' to break inside to get to them. Good money bets that they are barricaded in the Control Room itself; Turians would make it a tough nut to crack." Royce looked to the other three, who nodded in both understanding and agreement. "That means that it's probably around this corner, and its' back is to us. Thrak? You and I are goin' to jump out and blast the fuck out of whatever the hell that thin' is. It charges us, we book out of here. Asha, back down the hall, is going to hit it with a Singularity while Garm hits it with an incendiary grenade. Then we paste whatever is left of it full-auto, full-volume, until it is a Goddamn bloody smear all over a wall. Any questions?"

"Can I bring back it's head as a trophy?" The SIU Commander asked, and Royce wasn't sure if the Batarian was joking or not.

Garm and the Asari commando moved to the previous T-junction, indicating over the comm unit that they were ready after a moment of setting up. The Human Marine and the Krogan mercenary got themselves ready, too; the Krogan checked both of his heavy assault rifles, while Royce merely flexed his hands alternatively on the grips of his chaingun. They got to the corner of the junction in which the noises and howling were coming from, and the Krogan mercenary stuck his head out enough so that his predatory eye could give him a glance at what they were about to face. Quicker than Royce expected, the Krogan jerked his head back, and swore in what was undoubtedly harsh Krogan language. Royce moved around the merc, and did the same thing, and his eyes went wide at what he saw. He, too, jerked his head back, and looked to the Krogan.

"What… the fuck… is that?" The N6 asked, not sure if he was scared or not. The Krogan seemed intimidated, though the Human Marine was more than wise enough not to mention it. "I've never seen anythin' like before."

"I have." Thrak replied, his voice distant, obviously reliving whatever memory. "I seen only one before, back on a job that I had with an agent of the Shadow Broker several decades back. Kechlu was his name. It looks like a Reaperfied version of Operative Kechlu."

"So what the fuck is it?" Royce asked, curious. That had the Krogan looking at him quietly with both eyes.

"It's a Yahg." Thrak said, his voice quiet for a Krogan. "It's a Reaperfied Yahg."

A/N: What could more badass than a Brute? Yes, I went there; a Reaper Yahg.


	22. Chapter 22

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 22 - Playing Pickle With Guns, Day 4, Evening-ish

"So how do we kill it?"

It was the question of the day, Lieutenant Royce Mason thought ruefully as he showed an OmniTool snapshot to Commander Garm Jor'radah and Vanguard Asha T'vara after he and Jorgal Thrak came back to them to revise their strategy. Royce himself wasn't sure what a 'Yahg' was, and had never heard of a 'Parnack', but the Krogan was treating it as a superior foe, so he would, too. It was hard to imagine what could intimidate a Krogan; they fought Thresher Maws when they were adolescents. Yet Thrak was sufficiently worried enough that the Human Marine was going to follow the merc's lead on this. If he had seen one before and understood its capabilities, then they would all need to know in order to better beat it.

One hundred and seventy-something Turians were more than enough proof that they needed a superior game plan.

"Those things are quite possibly the best hunters and warriors in the galaxy." Jorgal Thrak told the other three, a few corridors away from where they had seen the monstrous being. "Ten to twelve feet tall, eight eyes that can track four different things, smart and adaptive as hell, and its skin is resistant enough to shrug off most rounds with little to no damage." The Krogan took a turn looking at all three of him, his eyes boring in on them to make sure that they were taking the Krogan seriously. "Most of our weapons won't do much but bruise it and give it minor cuts. Plus, it's a Reaper now; who knows how much tougher it had gotten?" All four of them looked at one another for a second, assessing what they had, and what would do the most amount of damage in the shortest amount of time. They all had grenades. Asha had her Biotics. Royce had a chaingun. Thrak was a Krogan.

It would have to be enough.

"We split up, brin' it out, and play pickle with guns." The N6 said, thinking it through. The term 'pickle' had the aliens looking at one another in confusion. "Thrak, you and Garm take one side, me and Asha the other. We brin' it out and whoever it chases down, the others fire on its back until they get its attention, and we switch. Keep doin' that until it gives us its swan song."

"You're an N, and that's the best you can come up with?" The Batarian asked, shaking his head. "That's the same tactic we use to take out Alliance ship engines and cargo ship defense screens!"

"So you agree; it works." Royce shrugged his shoulders, not too worried about whatever actions Commander Jor'raddah might have taken in the past; he was a Special Intervention Unit Agent, after all. "Asha, Garm? Set up at opposite corridors. Me and the Krogan will shoot it and run in opposite directions, and see who gets chased."

It took perhaps a minute or so for them to get ready; the Asari and the Batarian stood at opposite ends of the hallway, standing behind a corner for cover as Royce and Thrak moved to the intersection in the middle of the corridor, their respective weapons ready. The Krogan merc, so typically one of his kind, had both of his heavy assault rifles out ready to blast with both weapons, while the Human Marine had his M320 Vulcan chaingun ready to decimate. Both Krogan and Human were at the corner of the final corridor, where they could still hear the Reaper Yahg banging away at the door it was trying to force its way into, howling with anger and rage.

"On the count of three, we start shootin' at the Behemoth with full abandon." Royce informed the Krogan, who simply nodded in acceptance, hefting his M76 Revenant and M24 Phaeston to the ready as Royce readied Old Painless. "One… two… three!"

Both Krogan and Human rounded the corner, the merc going a few steps further to make room for the Marine with the M320 Vulcan cannon as both began firing at the twelve-foot tall creature at the end of the corridor, neither letting go of their triggers. The Krogan's gun fired at full speed, expending through its thermal clips quickly, firing fifty times through the Phaeston heavy Turian assault rifle and a hundred through the Revenant heavy automatic weapon. Royce, right beside him, had his Vulcan cannon spun up to its maximum revolutions and spat out death at eighteen rounds per second, a fury of shaved metal particles lightened by Mass Effect and accelerated at a fraction of the speed of light by mass acceleration through the means of magnetism. The multitude of round fired by both the Krogan mercenary and the Human Marine impacted against the back of the massive creature that stood fifty feet away from them, looking in the opposite direction. It let out a roar of surprise and pain as its back arched from the abuse of speeding metal impacting against it as it quickly turned about, holding its two thick arms in a protective stance, a bright yellow square object popping up before it, made of OmniGel and crushed dreams.

"Fuck." Royce muttered, both his and the Krogan's guns going silent at the sight of the Reaperfied Yahg facing them, roaring out a challenge. "It's got a Tech Shield." The Marine looked at his rapidly-cooling chaingun as Thrak switched out his thermal clips in both his Phaeston and his Revenant. "That's why that wanker isn't dead yet." Without another word, both Human and Krogan began blasting at the Yahg again, what Royce thought of as a Behemoth; something big, strong, and made to destroy. Their rounds began impacting against the Tech Shield of the Yahg as it roared in defiance as the Reaper hybrid held the shield up, protecting itself from the brutal fire of the Vulcan, Revenant, and Phaeston, the plethora of rounds striking the OmniGel-created shield with little effect. Thrak's thermal clip in his Phaeston ran out, and he continued to fire his heavy automatic Revenant one-handed until that, too, ran out, making him pause to insert fresh thermal clips into both of his weapons while Royce continued to fire the Eliminator, making sure the Yahg didn't move while the Krogan brought his guns to bear. Royce did a quick heat check on his chaingun, and saw that it was already at 70% heat capacity with his constant spraying of rounds; he had at best another seven seconds of shooting before the Vulcan would overheat and be useless for twelve seconds. "I'm almost at overheat!" Royce told both the Jorgal Krogan and his comm unit, letting Garm and Asha know as well. "We bug out in four seconds!"

The Vulcan stopped firing, an internal alarm ringing off to notify to all that it had reached its heat limit.

"Run!" The Australian-born man shouted as both he and Krogan turned tail and ran back down the previous corridor in opposite directions; the merc heading to the left towards Commander Garm Jor'radah, and Royce to the right where Vanguard Asha T'vara waited. Royce did his best to run with the 28-kg weapon in his hands, chugging along while running the seventy-five feet distance to where Asha waited for him. The Asari Vanguard was looking at him, her eyes widening as she began to glow Biotically. The N6 needed no other warning as he went into a baseball slide close to her position, leaning back and leading with his feet as the Asari shot out a blue orb right over his head while he slid just past her position, rolling over to lear himself of the hallway. Royce heard a roar of pain as it sounded as if someone got smacked with something sounding like a wrecking ball. He got up to his feet and stood next to the Asari commando, who had ducked back around the corner, both of their backs to the wall. The Yahg let out a roar as a series of gunshots was heard further down the hallway where Garm and Thrak began shooting the Reaper's back. Asha took a chance a peeked her head around the corner for a second, and looked back to Royce.

"It took the bait. As planned." The Asari Vanguard said, her tone filled with wonder.

"You had any doubt?" The Marine teased her with a smile. "I'm a Human; I play baseball. I know how to make pickle work."

"One of these days, you're going to have to explain some of these euphemisms." The commando shook her head, peeking out around the corner. "It's 'pickle' time, Royce."

Both Human and Asari jumped from their hiding position, seeing the Behemoth most of the way to the Krogan and Batarian. The N6 wasted no time spinning up Old Painless, a line of rounds and death exiting from that rapidly revolving barrels of the Vulcan chaingun as Asha T'vara took a different approach as she glowed Biotically, throwing a blue-black Warp orb straight at the Yahg's back. The creature screamed in pain as shaved metal and dark energy collided into its back, obviously causing it considerable pain as it leaned back with the injury. The creature jumped around, roaring in anger and pain as it began to charge Royce and Asha, its Tech Shield in front of it. The Human Marine continued to blast away with the M320 while the Asari Vanguard threw another Warp right at the OmniGel-created shield. The assault had the Reaperfied alien staggering forward, trying to push through the multitude of rounds fire by Royce's chaingun and yet another Warp sent by Asha, slowing it down. The Australian-born man didn't bother pulsing his heat-sink reliant weapon as he continued to simply pull the trigger, feeling the weapon buck in his hands at it spat out over a thousand rounds a minute. He could see the heat indicator on the chaingun rising quickly as he continued to lay into the Behemoth, his rounds impacting against the Tech Shield as the commando beside him sent one more Warp.

Without indication, the Tech Shield broke.

"Light 'em up!" Royce shouted at the same time the overheat alarm went off on his chaingun. Without missing a beat, he simply let go of the 28-kg Vulcan and pulled out his M96 Mattock, more interested in making it hurt than spraying a bunch of rounds. Asha had her M15 Vindicator out, and together the both of them began to lay it on, shooting the Yahg. An explosion at its back jostled the Reaper forward as it spun, obvious that either Gram or Thrak had thrown a grenade to take its attention off the Human and Asari. The N6's Mattock clicked as its thermal clip was spent, and he slammed a new one in, switching it out for his M24 Scimitar as the Australian-born man bull-rushed forward, beginning to lay blast after blast from his assault shotgun as he got closer to the Reapers' back. When he fired all eight shots, only ten meters away from the Reaper, he was surprised to see a large blue streak come from behind him, impacting against the twelve-foot walking tank with the force of a wrecking ball. To his shock, Royce saw that the streak was really Asha, who had somehow stuck the Yahg with her Biotically-charged body, and had landed on its back. The Asari yanked out both of her M77 Paladins and began firing them both into the back of the Behemoth's massive head. The creature jerked its head back, throwing the commando off as Royce continued to spray with his Scimitar, close enough that he could see the Behemoth bleeding a dark ichor from its wounds.

They were indeed killing it slowly.

The Behemoth turned to face Royce and Asha, and then stumbled forward, punctuated by the mighty roar of an illegal shotgun firing, Thrak's Claymore blasting into the Reapers. It turned again to face the Batarian and Krogan, and the Human and Asari picked up the slack; Royce hammering away with his Scimitar as he walked forward while Asha threw another blue-black Warp orb, pain obviously affecting the twelve-foot monstrosity. Thankfully, Reaperizing the Yahg made it as dumb as bricks, Royce thought as he racked another thermal clip into his Scimitar as he moved closer, continuing to shoot. Batarian, Krogan, Human, and Asari all continued to blast the Behemoth from opposite sides, confusing the creature as it would turn to face the greater threat, only for the greater threat to change, and it would about-face again. The Reaper gave off a wall rattling bellow as its skin, slick from rounds and ichor leaking from its many wounds, finally slumped to one knee, and then to the next, falling in front of the four members of the Chaos Legion as they popped a few extra rounds into the massive creature as it laid on the ground, unmoving.

"Tough bastard." Garm said, popping a thermal clip in his M12 Raider. "Glad he's dead."

"Me too." Royce said, looking over to Asha, who let out a sigh of relief. "Let me retrieve my chaingun, and we can pop open that Control Room and send that signal out."


	23. Chapter 23

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 23 - Carpe Diem, Bitches, Day 4 Evening

Lieutenant Royce Mason stood in front of the door that the Reaper Yahg had been pounding on, with Vanguard Asha T'vara, Jorgal Thrak, and Commander Garm Jor'radah standing behind the Human Marine as he looked at the door's interface console, seeing it smashed beyond repair. Giving the Asari a knowing smirk, he merely rapped on the metal door with his knuckles in a 'shave-and-a-haircut' code.

"Housekeepin' and room service!" Royce shouted towards the door in a cheerful tone. "We've got linens and mints for your pillows!"

"No one's gonna open the door for that." The Batarian SIU Agent scoffed, holding his M33 Terminator upright with one hand, shaking his head. "Probably three or four Turian recruits behind that door with assault rifles trained on the door, hunkering behind a desk. None of them are going to get up and open the door."

"He's probably right." Asha said quietly to Royce, looking at what was left of the interface. "Either the Yahg destroyed it and denied us access, or the Turians inside shot it out to deny anything entry. We're probably not going to be able to open that door short of bringing down a good chunk of the building trying to blow it open."

"Oh, ye of little faith." The Human Marine lamented, miming a dramatic hand against his brow. "Don't tell me that you don't think I can't outsmart a giant-ass Reaper with the intellect of a puddin' pop? I can easily get this door open. Watch and learn!" The three Chaos Legion members looked amused as Royce simply took his left hand and waved it in front of the door, as if pretending to wash it off, as he announced '_abracadabra!_' to the shut portal. To the amazement of the other three, the door did indeed open up slightly, splitting open down the middle, making Royce smirk at the Asari, Krogan, and Batarian that stood behind him. "See? Too easy!"

"But… how…" Garm sputtered, all four of his eyes opened wide as he looked at the door, which was only opened a foot wide, enough to talk to whoever was inside. "Those are Turian blast doors! A Biotic couldn't have opened it!"

"I'm magic, I know." The Lieutenant said assuredly, nodding. "Plus, we happen to have a Turian engineer who can access consoles and hack doors open. I asked him to inform me when he had access for the door when I was picking up Old Painless. So, yeah. I cheated."

"Ass." Asha said with a playful smack to the Marine's shoulder, giving him a smile. "Here I was thinking you had some sort of strange, mystical powers."

"Sorry to disappoint, 'gel." The N6 replied, hitting the comm unit that was in his ear. "Hey, Elias? Yeah, they totally fell for it. Tell Stacy she owes me fifty credits, and open the doors the rest of the way, _s'il vous plaît_?"

"_Understood, Royce."_ Tech Specialist Elias Korvan replied over the comm, his flanged voice amused. _"And their faces were totally worth it. We'll be up with the Salarian in a few minutes."_

The door, once barred, opened further, revealing a room of decent size, filled with displays and holographic interfaces. Royce knew without a doubt that they had finally reached their objective; the Control Room. In the middle of the room was one person, a lone Turian in a pool of blue blood, face down on the ground. The team of four entered the room, doing a quick sweep, clearing it of any hostile threats before Asha went to the Turian. It took her a moment to reach for the Turian's unplated neck and diagnose that the soldier had expired. She looked up to Royce, her face grim as she shook her head sadly.

"Poor bastard." Jorgal Thrak said simply, his eyes moving about the room, as if expecting something to jump out of one of the few available corners. "Doesn't look like there's anything of interest here to scrounge. And I'm hungry."

"Oh boy. Hungry Krogan." Royce groused, facepalming himself. "Elias and the others had better hurry before I start lookin' like a burger to him."

It took approximately fifteen minutes for Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino, and Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia to reach the Control Room, both Human Sentinel and Quarian Biotic carrying the Salarian researcher Chorban via Biotics. The two women set the researcher as gently as they could upon a chair near the multitude of console input devices, Stacy's face in particular looking grim as she immediately assessed the Salarian. She looked to Chorban's face, and then to Royce, and gave him the briefest of shakes of her head, making the N6 sigh.

Chorban was going to die.

"I did everything I could." Eloa'Varis stated quietly to the Australian-born man, dry-washing her gloved hands, her tone indicating that she was nervous. "I had him in stasis to at least halt as much time as I could, but…"

"Eloa, he has a bullet in his guts." Royce told her, placing a knowing hand on her slim shoulder. "The fact he is still breathin' right now is because of you and Chief Valentino. It was good thinkin' on your part, and you have nothin' to blame yourself about. I know I wish there was more any of us could do, but we're surrounded by Reapers in this bunker. At the very least, we cleared the damn buildin' and killed that monstrosity back there."

"What monstrosity?" Elias asked, curious.

"How did you miss the twelve-foot tall walking Behemoth back there?" Garm asked ludicrously, his tone filled with anger as he flung out his arm towards the direction of the dead Reaper Yahg. "Did you not bother looking at it?"

"Um, all we saw was a large puddle of black goop." Stacy replied, her face starting to change to one of worry as she looked back to the opened door of the Control Room. "We just thought that it, you know, exploded into paste or something."

"Fuck." Royce muttered. "Everyone lock 'n load! Garm?" The Batarian looked over to the N6. "You stay here and make sure Chorban works on that signal, and you close that door behind us. Your priority is the damn Enigma signal." The SIU Agent opened his mouth to protest, but Royce cut him off quickly. "This thing is weak against Biotics, and we need the Krogan and my chaingun. You close the door and secure it, and make sure that signal gets inputted, otherwise ain't none of us leavin' here alive."

"It will be done, Royce." Garm said solumnly, and it took a second for the Australian-born man to realize that it was the first time that the Batarian had called him by his name, and not by his species. The N6 returned the nod, and turned about, readying his chaingun as he looked over to see that the five other members of the Chaos Legion were preparing as well, pulling out whatever happened to be their most powerful weapon. Vanguard Asha T'vara had her M15 Vindicator out, the butt pocketed into the hollow of her shoulder as she nodded her readiness. Tech Specialist Elias Korvan was checking his M92 Mantis first, and then pulling up his OmniTool, obviously checking up his readied programs. The Krogan mercenary Jorgal Thrak was seemingly in an impasse as to what to carry; either his M300 Claymore, or duel-wielding his M76 Revenant and T24 Phaeston once again, in which he chose the former. Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino turned on her Tech Armor program, yellow OmniGel creating a secondary shell armor outside of her Light Phoenix Armor as she armed herself with a M4 Shuriken machine pistol in one hand and an M3 Predator pistol in the other. Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia had out her M44 Kimber submachine gun out, yet she actively glowed blue, showing that her real power laid with her Biotics.

"Okay, listen up, crunchies." The Human Marine looked to the remaining members of the Chaos Legion, seeing that he had their undivided attention. "This thin' is big, fast, hard as hell to kill, and probably pissed beyond belief. It might have crawled off to die, but no one's ever lived a long life assumin' somethin' will stay dead without double-checkin'. We advance in teams, check our corners, and don't be afraid to back up if needed; you do _not_ want to be in front of this thin' when it charges. Whatever you do, hit it as hard as you can in the quickest amount of time possible. No mercy given, no forgiveness received. _Carpe Diem,_ bitches; it's time for us to go kill us a monster!"

The six members of the Chaos Legion left the Control Room, the heavy blast door closing behind them as Royce and Thrak took the lead, followed by Asha and Eloa, and trailed by Elias and Stacy. The Human Marine hefted his chaingun as he moved forward to the first T-section with the Krogan merc just to his right, both of them doing a quick peek around the corners. The N6 instantly saw what the Turian sniper and the Sentinel were talking about; a large bloodstain was evident on the ground to where the Behemoth had fallen, yet the Reaper itself was no longer there.

"That… is not fuckin' good." Royce groused loudly, his chaingun pointed down the corridor in which the blood stain existed, a possibly the direction the mutated creature had gone. "Thrak? Your nose up for trackin' stinky?"

"Blood smells stronger down your way, Royce." The Krogan merc confirmed after taking an experimental sniff of the air. "I'll take point, but I'm pretty sure it won't be hard to find it."

"Got a better idea." The N6 said, looking to the Turian sniper who stood at rear guard. "Elias? You still got that cute little recon drone program available?"

"Scout?" The Tech Specialist looked at the Human in surprise for a moment, and then gave a very Turian grin. "I think I have just the program in mind." The Turian collapsed his Mantis sniper rifle and placed it upon a hard point on his back before opening up his OmniTool. Several seconds of tapping inputs on the wrist-mounted device had a OmniGel forming a grey sphere that floated by the Turian's arm. "I've set it to scan and send any data it finds, so it'll let us know if that Behemoth of yours is still alive or not. Sending Scout now." The recon drone beeped with acceptance of the program that Elias had inputted and sped off, heading down the direction of the corridor where the blood stain was located, taking a right turn where the hallway made a 90 degree angle. Elias had a holographic view out so that he could see what the recon drone saw as it hovered further down the hallway. The little drone showed more hallway for several seconds, nothing significant to report, when the viewer went immediately to static, the signal lost. The only thing indicating what happened were the red words that displayed on the static, '**signal lost**'.

"What happened?" Eloa'Varis asked, her voice curious. "Did the signal degrade?"

"Negative." Elias said, tapping the OmniTool. "The program has been… terminated. Approximately fifty feet down that next corridor."

"So it's lyin' in wait." Royce muttered, not pleased with the prospect. "Everyone set up at the far end of the corridor over there, and we'll have someone bait the Behemoth into comin' towards us, where all six of us can smoke the damn thin'."

"Sounds fun, except for the person running." Elias pointed out. "How are we going to pick out and choose who's going to… do… that…?" The Turian, at the end of his sentence, realized that everyone was looking at him, it being well known that Turians were the fleetest of foot when it came to races and running due to their legs. "Oh… Spirits preserve me. I hate you all. Really hate you." The sniper looked at each of their faces. "Each and every one of you are going to owe me a lot drinks if this works."


	24. Chapter 24

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

**A/N: WARNING: shit is about to get real.**

Chapter 24 - One Ugly Motherfucker, Day 4 Late Evening

"_FFFUUUCCCKKK_!"

Lieutenant Royce Mason held his M320 Vulcan cannon at the ready, standing side-by-side with the Asari Vanguard Asha T'vara, the Krogan mercenary Jorgal Thrak, the Sentinel Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino, and the Quarian Adept Eloa'Varis vas Thessia as they each saw Tech Specialist Elias Korvan rounding the corner into their line-of-fire, bounding down the hall as fast as he could while screaming. Each of the standing members of the Chaos Legion had their weapons ready to fire; Royce with Old Painless, Asha with her M15 Vindicator and her Biotics, Thrak with his M76 Revenant and T24 Phaeston, Stacy with her M4 Shuriken and Tech Armor powered up, and Eloa with dark energy swirling in both hands. Elias was running straight for the five of them, his bounding run covering the distance quickly. He was two-thirds of the way to their position at the end of the corridor when something crashed into the corridor wall at a great speed, arriving at the entrance of the corridor that the Chaos Legion stood at the end of.

"Elias! Get down!" Royce shouted as his M320 began to spin up, the barrels rotating over a thousand revolutions a minute as the Turian sniper gave a short hopping jump, letting his body enter a slide as he rotated from his back to his stomach, yanking out his M92 Mantis at the same time he slid into a prone position. As soon as the Turian cleared the immediate vicinity of their field of fire, everybody fired everything; the corridor became a host of dozens of shots within the first second as a chaingun, two heavy assault weapons, a sniper rifle, an assault rifle, two sub-machine guns, and two pistols began firing as quickly as possible. Everyone took what Lieutenant Mason said to heart; to put as much damage possible in the quickest amount of time. If it was a fully automatic weapon, it was being fired without pause. If it wasn't a fully automatic weapon, it was being fired as quickly as its user could pull the trigger. All the shots streaked down the hall and towards the twelve foot Behemoth that occupied the other end, holding a yellow OmniGel-created Tech Shield to block the rounds that were spraying at it. A very large majority of the shots were impacting against the Shield as the Reaperfied Yahg started to push forward, forcing its way forward against the cacophony of shots hitting its shield. The only lull in the fire was when someone replaced a spent thermal clip with a fresh one, and resumed the onslaught. Royce had to start pulsing the shots on his Vulcan as it got dangerously close to overheating, while the others continued to shoot at the Yahg. Elias switched out his Mantis for his M15 Vindicator, still firing in the prone, while Eloa'Varis holstered her M81 Raikou and glowed blue for a second before throwing a Singularity at the Behemoth, the black-blue orb striking the Tech Shield. It seemed to halt the Yahg's progress as Stacy added her Biotics to the fray, launching a Warp right at the Reaper. The orb crashed into the Tech Shield as rounds still impacted it from the multitude of gunshots as Elias Korvan activated his OmniTool, quickly typing in a few commands, and firing a program at the Yahg. The program hit the Shield, and electricity sparked on and around it as the program tried to Overload the Tech Shield, the electricity shocking the Reaper as well. It roared in what sounded like pain as it hunkered down, and Royce knew what was coming next.

"Go! Go! Go!" The Human Marine shouted as he continued firing his chaingun, buying the other members of the Chaos Legion time to get out of the way of the lumbering beast as it began to charge. Though his rounds didn't penetrate the Shield, the N6 could see that his rate of fire was at least slowing the Reaper down, keeping it from attacking them at full-speed. Elais, Stacy, and Eloa were the first to take route into the adjoining corridor as Royce, Asha, and Thrak continued firing, taking a few steps back. Without a word, the three of them began to run down the adjoining hallway themselves, seeing that the Turian sniper, Quarian Adept, and Human Sentinel had set themselves out about a third of the way down the corridor. They joined backup, all six of them with their guns pointed at the T-section they just held off as they took tentative steps backwards, furthering themselves from where the Behemoth would show up while covering the same point. Seconds passed, and the Australian-born man didn't like the fact that all he heard was silence.

"Where the fuck did it go?" Chief Valentino asked no one in particular, her Texan drawl thick. "Too much to hope for it to show its head just so we can shoot it off!"

"Elias, another recon drone, if you please." Royce told the Turian sniper, who merely nodded. The Tech Specialist took a knee and activated his OmniTool, Scout coming online a moment later. The grey orb floated down the hallway and reached the T-section, and keeping an eye on the viewer displayed on the OmniTool, Royce saw that the drone turned the corner…

…And saw an empty hallway.

"Fuck!" The sniper swore, his talons imputing a command on his OmniTool. "I'm going to have Scout do a quick zip of this floor. It couldn't have gotten far!"

"Stacy, Thrak, watch our rear." The Lieutenant told the Krogan and the Sentinel, the both of them taking a few steps back and then doing an about face, their guns now pointing at the opposite end of the hallway. The Tech Specialist worked his OmniTool again, tapping on it longer than he had before before the grey sphere came into existence, speeding down the hallway in the direction that the Behemoth should have come from.

"I loaded it with a self-destruct program." Elias informed the other members of the Chaos Legion, looking at the view that was displaying just over his wrist-mounted OmniTool. "If Scout spies that thing or it takes a swipe at the drone, that Reaper is going to get one hell of a nasty surprise."

"Explosives. Nice." Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino said with a smile, making Thrak nod in agreement. The six members of the Chaos Legion held fast at their location while Elias Korvan watched the viewer, the display chirping when it had found the mutated Yahg. The drone rammed itself that the creature, who was facing away from it, exploding against the creatures' back in a small fireball of pain and agony.

"Damn it! It was at the Control Room door!" Elias announced, his subharmonics sounding worried. "I think it was trying to claw its way in again. Garm and Chorban won't have a chance."

"Garm! Report!" Royce shouted into his comm unit, only receiving static. "Chorban? Garm? _Anybody_?" There was no answer for a few seconds, and the Australian had a sinking feeling in his gut. "Goddamn it. Chaos Legion! Get ready to assault! That signal is top priority, but we need to kill that boondocker if we're to have a chance in hell in order to do it! Keep shootin' and flayin' that ugly motherfucker until it's a goddamn puddle! I want to see pink mist and boots!"

All six of them moved forward into the adjoining corridor, moving tactically towards the last hallway that led to the Control Room. Royce and Thrak had point, and the whole time moving there, all the Human Marine could think of was that Garm and Chorban were dead; two more men under his command killed. He would rip that Yahg's heart out if he had to.

They reached the final corridor, and Royce's heart sank when he saw that the blast doors leading to ti had been torn open, split apart by a strength that even Jorgal Thrak didn't possess. Both Human and Krogan shared a quick look with one another as they saw that Yahg was simply standing just inside of the entrance of the Control Room, completely ignoring the six warriors who now looked at the Reaper's back, where a large black scorch mark could be seen from Scout's explosive demise.

"Elias, ready another party favor." Royce whispered quietly to the Turian sniper, who merely nodded. "As soon as Scout explodes, we unload on this piece of shit." The drone came into existence a few moments later, and the grey combat drone raced towards the Yahg's back like a rocket, exploding against the Behemoth more powerful than a grenade. The creature barely got a scream of pain out as rounds from the multitude of weapons that the six members of the Chaos Legion held began to unload on the mutated Yahg, shooting its back with fury. The Reaper turned and had its Tech Shield out, the shots impacting against the yellow Omni-Gel defense as Eloa'Varis glowed Biotically, sending a small blue-black orb straight towards the Shield. The orb struck, yanking the Shield off position, Pulling it aside as the Yahg stumbled, screaming anger and pain as the rounds fired began hitting its torso and head. The Shield came back up, and another Pull struck the yellow-glowing barrier, this time from Chief Stacy Valentino. Once more rounds blistered the Yahg's flesh as the defense was thrusted out of the way, failing to block the shots that were incoming.

"This isn't working well enough!" Asha shouted as she threw her own Biotics into the fray throwing a Warp at the Behemoth. "Guns aren't cutting it, Royce!"

"I can tell!" Royce gritted his teeth as he continued pulsing his chaingun, firing it in a way to keep it from overheating while keeping the massive, twelve-foot creature back. "If any of you blighters got a suggestion, I'm all ears!"

"How about a little taste of my Raider, bitch!"

The sound of Commander Garm Jor'radah's voice coming over their comm units had everyone stop firing as the form of the SIU Agent jumping upon the Behemoth's back, latching on with one arm, holding his M12 Raider in his free hand. The muzzle of the Batarians' shotgun went right into the skull of the Reaper Yahg, and the AIU Agent let out a roar of defiance as he pulled the trigger on his four-shot automatic shotgun. The Reaper thrashed about, trying to buck the Batarian off as all four shots struck the Behemoth in the skull undoubtedly causing it pain from such a close range. Garm held on as the Yahg bucked back and forth like a bronco, swinging side to side, determined to throw the Special Intervention Unit Agent off its back. Garm's shotgun went flying as the Batarian held on with both hands, none of the other members of the Chaos Legion daring to fire in fear of hitting the Commander riding the Behemoth like a cowboy. One particular swing had the Batarian flipping over the Yahgs' back, falling across its chest, Garm still holding on by one hand as the Reaper grabbed it by its massive arms, the tri-section jaw opening wide.

"Garm!" Royce shouted, dropping his Vulcan and pulling his M96 Mattock out, determined to distract the creature.

"You are one ugly motherfucker!" Commander Garm Jor'radah shouted as he let go of the Reaper's shoulder with his holding hand and reached into a pouch, pulling out what appeared to be a grenade. The maw loomed wide, aiming the Batarian straight for its opened mouth as Garm shoved his arm straight into the gaping maw. The three-sectioned mouth clamped down with a crunch, causing the SIU Agent to cry out in pain as the Reaper tore off his arm, tossing the body aside as it swallowed the Batarian's arm.

And the grenade along with it.

Royce wrapped his body around Asha to protect her as the grenade went off, the Reaper's head exploding into a million pieces of ichor and bone fragments. The Human Marine heard the body crash to the ground, and he looked to see the Behemoth on the ground, its head and a small portion of its upper chest missing when the grenade detonated. He also saw that Asha hadn't needed him to shield her with his body; a Barrier encompassed them both.

"I'm a Biotic, remember?" The Vanguard said, looking at the Australian-born man with a smile that warmed up her sky-blue eyes. "But I do appreciate the thought and the attempt."

"My pleasure, 'gel." Royce replied, thoughtlessly caressing one of her cheeks with a gentle finger. The touch had her eyes close for a second, leaning her head into his hand.

"Roy…ce…"

The sound had the N6 looking over by the Reaper, where Commander Garm Jor'radah laid, and both Human Marine and Asari Vanguard stood, moving quickly over to where the SIU Agent laid. Royce gave a brief glance to the Behemoth, and no longer considered it a threat, as its' entire head was now missing as he took a knee by the Batarian. The Australian-born man winced at the sight of Garm, his eyes seeing not only the missing arm, but also the fragments of the grenade and bone debris of the Reaper Yahg that had peppered his body. Both he and Asha shared a knowing glance; the best medical team in the galaxy right then and there wouldn't be able to save Commander Garm Jor'radah.

"Hey, brother." Royce said softly, taking a knee next to where Garm laid, amazed to see the Batarian's four eyes still open, looking about in a glazed manner; obviously in shock. "I'm sorry about your trophy. It's now decorating everything in the hall."

"It's… it's good." Garm's voice was slurred, pain and blood loss affecting him as his eyes closed slowly, and opened even slower. "Never thought… I'd see the day… I'd be proud… to stand by… a Human."

"You did good, brother. You did real good." The N6 comforted the dying Batarian, grabbing his remaining hand and gripping it tight. "You just relax now; you've earned it." That had the Batarian nod, his four eyes drooping. "I would have gone to Khar'shan with you. I would have stood by your side as we mowed those fuckers down to take back your world."

"Chorban died… finishing… the signal." Garm fought for breath, his eyes mostly closed now. "Had to… hide him… when the… Reaper… broke… in. Just… flick… the…switch, and… enjoy… the… show…." The eyes closed for the last time, and a hollow rasp escaped from the SIU Agent's mouth as his body relaxed; no longer fighting, no longer struggling. Commander Garm Jor'radah had died.

"Sleep, my friend, and dream of pretty Batarian women." The Australian-born man gripped the Batarian's hand tightly once more before laying it to rest on the SIU Agent's ruined chest, standing up slowly as he felt Asha's gently hand on his shoulder. Royce looked to her to see that the Asari was grieving as well, her sky-blue eyes saddened. The rest of the members of the Chaos Legion stood there silently, looking at Commander Garm Jor'radah's body, a moment of silence shared by them all. Tech Specialist Elias Korvan had his head dipped and his mandibles lowered, while holding Eloa'Varis Vas Thessia, who buried her helmeted head into the Turian's shoulder, soft sounds of weeping heard through her suit's voice synthesizer. Lieutenant Stacy Valentino crossed herself with her right hand, touching her head, breastbone, right shoulder, and left shoulder, kissing her fingers at the end, while Jorgal Thrak looked on, nodding his head at the sight of the fallen warrior, undoubtedly deeming it a more-than-worthy death.

"C'mon, we still have a signal to fire off."

The six remaining members of the Chaos Legion walked towards the Control Room, where they quickly found Chorban slumped on the chair he was sitting, his head lolled back in an uncomfortable position. Stacy moved forward and checked for vital signs quickly, and after a few seconds of feeling his neck, the Human Sentinel sadly shook her head; the Salarian had died of his wounds. Royce moved up to were the researcher had been working, and saw a large amount of code imputed in, the screen flashing a button marked 'Transmit?'. Royce looked to Stacy as she studied the code, letting her review it.

"It looks… it looks complete, Lieutenant." The Sentinel said, looking to Royce. "He must have spent his last dying moments completing the Enigma Signal. He… he didn't live long enough to even execute it." Stacy queued up her OmniTool, pressing a few buttons, and waved the holographic tool at the console. "There. I've downloaded the finish product, Lieutenant. We can send the signal at any time."

"Set it for maximum output, Chief." Royce replied quietly, looking over to the remaining members of the Chaos Legion. His eyes went over the brutish face of Jorgal Thrak, the masked featureless plate of Eloa'Varis vas Thessia, the plates and mandibles of Elias Krovan, and finally to the azure face of Asha T'vara. The Asari's hand slipped into his own, giving it a gentle squeeze, the Vanguard giving him a smile and a nod of encouragement.

"Do it, Chief." Lieutenant Royce Mason said, his voice thick. "Hit that shit."

"Shit will be hit." Stacy replied with a nod, turning to the console. "Shit hitting the fan… now." With that, the Chief Petty Officer hit the 'Transmit?' button as the Chaos Legion watched on.

_A/N: +2 Renegade for a Predator quote!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter 25 - Hope Survives, Day 4 Night

Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck gritted his teeth as he flew the UT-47A, his fingers flying over the holographic console, the Alliance shuttle doing a barrel roll to avoid a snap from a passing Harvester, the roar of the miniguns from the port and starboard side of the shuttle as Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius and Captain Preitor Gavorn shot at either the incoming flyers, or the ground forces that occupied below them. They were currently flying over the firebase in which they had come from that morning, doing their best to stem the tide of forces that were doing their best to overrun the beleaguered outpost in the middle of nowhere. After the eight members of the Chaos Legion had safely made it into the Command and Control Center, Jeff had flown the shuttle back to the firebase, intent to save as many as possible. The _Uvaks_ and the other shuttle had been a wonderful addition to the forces in the firebase, and Jeff knew that their own shuttle, along with the two Turians manning the miniguns, would be appreciated. Vona and Preitor had been a credit to their species, shooting at the Reapers with extreme prejudice, keeping as much heat off the firebase as they could. Both shuttles did their best to keep the Harvesters busy, keeping them from picking off the defenders on the wall, or from dropping forces on the inside of the defenses. The _Uvaks_ drove around on the outside, blasting with their cannons and the co-axial guns, running over the smaller Reapers at every opportunity.

There was no denying that there were far too many Reapers for them to handle.

The Alliance pilot launched yet another rocket at a group of Reapers that were trying their best to breech the walls of the firebase, using the remaining rockets conservatively, keeping the Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders from breeching the wall. Brutes still tanked through the enormous crowd of Reaper forces, often drawing the wrath of the tower guns, usually falling quickly as soon as they came within decent effective range. Yet for every one that they killed, it seemed that two more would appear. The towers guns were thankfully fully operational, even if any gunner were taken down; there was always a replacement to take over.

"First Sergeant Actus, we've got more Reaper ground reinforcements coming in from the northeast, half-a-klick." Jeff told over his comm unit, relaying his intel to First Sergeant Karn Actus, the Turian in charge of the firebase. "Numbers are up in the three hundreds. Moving over to gun them down."

"_Acknowledged, Chaos Air."_ The Turians' flanged reply came to his ear._ "Break station for half a minute, and mow as many as possible in that time before returning."_

"Roger, Top." Jeff replied, using the informal title of First Sergeant. "Gooping with pleasure." The pilot said with a smile as the shuttle banked hard to the left, the Harvester that had been trying to bring the shuttle down roaring in displeasure as the banking maneuver pulled them away from the flying Reaper. Captain Preitor Gavorn put about thirty rounds into the Harvester, stitching its wings and back, sending it crashing into the throng of Reapers, undoubtedly crushing a few as the Turian moved his aim to the Human, Batarian, and Turian variants on the ground. Within a few seconds, Vona and Preitor were blasting the fresh group of Reapers that Jeff identified as the shuttles' cannons went to work as well, taking large chunks of the throng. Within ten seconds, the three hundred had been chopped into pieces, now numbering closer to thirty as the Human pilot banked once more, blasting the Reapers indiscriminately as he flew back towards the firebase, the shuttle doing its best to ease the pressure.

And then something strange started to happen.

"_Lieutenant? Do you see what I'm seeing?"_ Vona Arterius asked over the comm unit, the starboard gun going quiet for a moment, a lull in firing that hadn't happened with the exception of when the female Turian needed to quickly disperse the heat in her minigun. Preitor's gun, too, went silent for a moment as Jeff quit firing the shuttles' cannons, his eyes now looking at the Reaper forces that were littering the ground underneath them.

It didn't seem that they were trying to get into the base so much as they were each other.

It started small, and grew bigger, like a wave. It started in the south, and spread northward, rippling over the mass of Reaper ground forces. It was hard to tell at first, as the Husks, Marauders, and Cannibals stood still for a moment, before they began to attack anything and everything in sight. The mob of Reapers began to go into a blood frenzy, without direction or command, and turned its murderous energy towards its nearest neighbor. Brutes seemed affect as well, though it was hard to tell as dozens of smaller Reapers began mobbing the larger Krogan Reapers, the large arms of the Brutes knocking several back with each swipe, only to be replaced with even more. Harvesters, too, were effective as the flyers began to attack towards the ground, landing into a group of Reapers, their wings, tails, claws, and mouths going into a frenzy, striking anything within range as they too began to be mobbed by the smaller land Reaper forces. Jeff had seen such before, back in that gully when Chorban first tested the Enigma signal.

They had done it.

"FUCK YEAH!" The Lieutenant pilot shouted into his comm, whooping in joy as he did a slow flyby of the firebase, seeing the Turians and the few Humans quickly taking out their aggressors as Reaper attacked Reaper, the few interested in breeching the walls quickly taken out. The top of the walls became crowded as Turian and Human soldier climbed up quickly to see a sight they had never thought they'd ever see; the Reapers turning on one another. Talons and fists went into the air as a cheer of victory was risen from the firebase, a miracle on display. "THEY DID IT, TOP! THE SIGNAL IS ON!"

"_I can see, Lieutenant!"_ There was no mistaking the sound of relief in First Sergeant Karn Actus' flanged voice, the firebase rescued once more. _"Cease fire, cease fire, cease fire! All units, repair breeches, perform aid, and trade damaged equipment while we have a chance. Lieutenant? If you could please pick me up? We have a trip to make… and some good friends to pick up."_

"With their shields, or on them, Top."

The flight took approximately twelve minutes with both shuttles flying side-by-side, a small squad of Turians in each of the cargo bays split between the shuttles. Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus was in the other shuttle, while First Sergeant Karn Actus sat in the co-pilot's chair of Harbeck's shuttle, where Vona Arterius and Preitor Garvon still manned the miniguns. The Command and Control Center came into view, and Jeff whistled at the sight; a mass of dead Reapers surrounding the Tower; all apparently having killed themselves off trying to destroy one another. The amount of them was staggering; there were approximately as many around the Tower as there were at the firebase. Radio chatter from the firebase had informed those on the shuttle that the Reaper forces that had once threatened them all were now almost completely eradicated, teams doing sweeps of the few stragglers that had survived the anarchy caused by the Enigma Signal. The firebase wasn't the only one coming back with such news; other firebases, FOB's, holdouts, and defensive positions were coming back with the same intel. It almost seemed that the wave was going to sweep over the entirety of Menae, and while the signal didn't seem to affect the Oculus or the Reaper ships, it did scramble the hybrid Reaper forces. Another interesting bit of news was coming out as well; some Turians were reporting with going down with headaches, passing out for no apparent reason. Jeff looked over to First Sergeant Actus and mouthed one word, '_Indoctrinated_', and the Turian nodded solemnly. No one knew who was Indoctrinated, or what effect it would have on them, but now that they were identified, any future damage they could have done would be completely mitigated as they would undoubtedly be apprehended and sequestered into cells and lockable rooms.

But at the moment, their eyes were on the Tower.

Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck landed the shuttle by the breech in the wall that surrounded the Tower, seeing six figures walking out through the breech, carrying two on what appeared to be make-shift stretchers. The way they walked, the lack of haste, Jeff knew that whoever was being carried was dead. Yet who he saw first had the pilot grinning from ear-to-ear.

"That is one tough Aussie son-of-a-bitch." The pilot told the Turian First Sergeant, Actus's eyes going to what the Canadian saw. "He probably went Crocodile Dundee on them."

"Do I even want to know what a 'Crocodile Dundee' is?" The Turian asked, amused. "Master Sergeant Skarvus? Set up a light perimeter while we collect our Chaos Legion." Ten Turians jumped out of the two shuttles, stepping out several meters with their rifles at the low-ready, their eyes scanning for any threats on the ground or in the air as Karn Actus stepped out, seeing Captain Preitor Gavorn and Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius, and Lieutenant Jeff Harbeck getting out as well. The four of them moved towards the six members of the Chaos Legion still on their feet, Preitor, Vona, and Jeff moving over to the stretchers to give relief. Together, they carried the two bodies to the shuttles, the Turian First Sergeant seeing the bodies of the Salarian researcher and the Batarian SIU Agent. A look on the surviving members' faces showed the same look upon all their faces; stress, grief, and a bone-weariness that spoke volumes. Yet they were still alive, and they wouldn't stop until they accomplished their last mission; to bring their fallen friends home. Without words or signals, the two stretchers were slid into Harbeck's shuttle with reverence, each member taking a step back from the cargo bay door, each of them giving a moment of silence for the fallen members.

Without another word, Lieutenant Royce Mason tapped each member on the shoulder, indicating for each to get onto the shuttles, pointing to which one for the member to take. Within a minute, the remaining eight members of the Chaos Legion loaded onto the shuttles. The retrieval complete, Actus told Master Sergeant Gronnal Skarvus to collapse the perimeter and have his men load back up into the shuttles so that they could return. Within a few moments, both shuttles were up and in the air, returning to the firebase. First Sergeant turned back from the co-pilot's chair to speak to Lieutenant Royce Mason, to debrief him on all that was going on, and stopped when he saw how the Australian-born man was. With a Turian smile, he tapped Jeff, and pointed to the pilot what he had seen. The Canadian looked back, and snorted at first, and his face broke into a smile as well.

"That's the second best thing I've seen in this war." The pilot announced, looking over to the Turian who occupied the cockpit with him. "They've earned it in my book."

"I agree." Actus said, turning back to the front, looking out to the display that showed them the moonscape of Menae as they flew. "Because of them, today we won back Menae. Tomorrow is a new day, Lieutenant, but today we have a victory we should be proud of. Because of ten people of different origins and species, we Turians have our largest moon back. I dare say they've more than earned it in _everyone's_ book." Though his words were done, Karn Actus' thoughts were nowhere close to being done. That the Enigma Singal worked was only a part of it; what they could do with it would be interesting as well. Yet he thought back at what he had seen, a touch of the very future they were fighting for just right behind him. _If such a think can happen in the middle of a war_, the Turian First Sergeant thought to himself ruefully,_ then perhaps there is hope for us all. _The sight came back to him quickly; the sight of Human and Asari sitting next to one another, both passed out on the shuttle from exhaustion, one blue hand and one pink one held together, fingers intertwined, the Asari's head on the Human's shoulder, while the Human's rested on hers.

_Hope survives, and fights on_. Actus thought with a smile of his mandibles. _And it rides with the name 'Chaos Legion'._

_**-FINE-**_


	26. Chapter 26

**Bioware owns Mass Effect. The OC's are mine.**

Chapter Epilogue: No Rest For The Wicked… Day 6 Oh-Dark-Hundred Standard

The Chaos Legion was aboard the Turian Frigate TSV _Cherva Tern_, speeding out of the Apien Crest and towards the Mass Relay that would lead them to the Serpent Nebula Relay, an Alpha Relay that could connect them to ten other major systems by itself, including the Charon Relay and the Sol System. That would never happen, of course, as (recently promoted just yesterday) Staff Lieutenant Royce Mason sat down in the Frigate's mess Hall, a host to the Turian crew that occupied the ship. The commander of the vessel, one Captain Jalvan Priss, didn't seem too happy about leaving his home system just to babysit what he probably thought a group of miscreants and outlaws. The brand-new Staff Lieutenant had a few words with the Captain, and got the quick impression that the Turian sailor was polite to him only because protocol dictated it, not to mention that he had been ordered by Palaven's brand-new Primarch, one Adrien Victus.

The loss of two of his squad was still fresh in the Marine's mind.

The Chaos Legion had done a memorial ceremony for Commander Garm Jor'radah and Jaleel Nisuses Ben Vares Tol Ingree Chorban in the hanger bay of the _Cherva Tern_ for their two fallen comrades, starting with a moment of silence for the nameless Turians and Humans they had seen dead or Reaperfied along the way. Royce had performed the ceremony in a Human fashion, not knowing what Salarians or Batarians did for their fallen. With his armor cleaned and repaired, he had gotten a small bell from the Turian Quartermaster, in which Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino had done the honors by calling their platoon to attention, the Turians in the hanger bay watching on in silence. Their remaining ranks stood tall and silent as Chief Valentino called out in a loud voice for Commander Garm Jor'radah to present himself front and center three times, only for the space to remain empty. She then called out for Jaleel Nisuses Ben Vares Tol Ingree Chorban to present himself in the same fashion, and got the same response. Chief Valentine executed a text-book right face, saluting Royce, and told him that they 'are holding muster at Fiddler's Green'. Royce nodded, and taking a small metal rod, tapped the steel bell three times slowly, paused, and then tapped it three more times.

And then he spoke.

"Brothers in battle, brothers in arms. We will remember you, as we continue to fight on."

Royce dismissed his platoon, giving them leave until he got further orders from Command; whose was anyone's guess. None of them had made any mention of leaving, those who had prior commitments before joining their motley band. Vanguard Asha T'vara had thankfully received word from her nephew and great-grandnephew, who had taken an earlier flight to the Citadel for safety. Tech Specialist, now First Class, Vona Arterius had taken comfort from the news of her father and son as well, and both Asari and Turian had elected to stay. Elias Korvan, now promoted to Chief Tech Specialist, had stayed as well, jokingly admitting that going back to the dregs of the rank-and-file wouldn't be nearly as fun as going off to strange places to get shot at. He tapped at his Omnitool as he said so, indicating the Enigma Signal, what Chorban had given his life to use. Now that they knew it was effective, Royce had intended to spread it out to as many as possible, not trusting extranet sources and comm buoys for transfer; the longer they could keep the Reapers in the dark about it, the more effective it would be. Elias took it upon himself to carry Chorban's legacy, to pass it along to any and all that they met, now that they knew it worked on Reaper forces and the Indoctrinated. Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino had told Royce that her place was under his command; neither Earth nor any of its Colonies were spared from the Reapers, so the both of them were left fighting others' brushfires. The Sentinel seemed a little disappointed that they weren't being returned to Alliance Command, but she had been realistic about it; any damage they could do to the Reapers would be one less hanging over Earth's skies. Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia had asked for any possible flights from the Apien Crest heading towards the Terminus Systems, though she refused to say any other destination. Royce had found her an independent merchant, probably a smuggler, that was heading to Omega, and had secured a flight for her. Yet the Quarian had reneged at the last moment, citing that she couldn't abandon her 'shipmates'. The Staff Lieutenant didn't doubt that Elias' presence in the Chaos Legion had something to do with it, though he was wise enough to say nothing else save that he was thankful that the Quarian Adept would continue to join them. Jorgal Thrak, the Krogan mercenary, put it bluntly; he'd be wherever the killing was best. Royce couldn't argue with that.

The crew of the Chaos Legion were put on leave on the frigate, and though there was really nowhere else for them to go, each of the members took advantage of the situation in their own ways.

Captain Preitor Gavorn was at work on a weapons bench, utilizing the tools and materials that he had conned from the _Cherva Tern_'s requisition officer. The Turian mercenary was stripping apart his T24 Phaeston, running a diagnostic app on his OmniTool over the weapon, scoring it for any malfunctions or discrepencies. The work took a few minutes, and satisfied with the inspection, began setting up a series of mods and attachments for the weapon. As a former member of the Blue Suns, he had learned to work with other races, something he never really did before he left the Turian military after his original conscription was completed. He had worked alongside Human and Batarian, and even a Hanar before. Yet he had never worked with anything like the so-called 'Chaos Legion', nor had he ever worked with someone like Staff Lieutenant Royce Mason. The former mercenary had worked with quite a few characters in his time, including Aria T'Loak herself, yet the N6 proved to be a different sort of animal. Taking a barrel extension, he began to swap the Phaeston's old barrel for a newer, longer one, guaranteeing an increase in both accuracy and velocity. After about ten minutes of seating the new barrel properly, Preitor began working with the stability dampeners, to make the weapon kick less.

"A mercenary who actually knows how to take care of his weapon. Now I've seen it all."

The former Blue Sun turned his head to see Tech Specialist, Second Class Vona Arterius standing a few feet behind him, holding her M44 Kyrase sniper rifle in her hands, obviously going to use the weapons bench for the same reason that Preitor was. Without asking his permission, she went up to the bench and set her sniper rifle down right beside where the merc was modifying his own weapon. To say that she was getting in his way was putting it mildly; the both of them couldn't work on the bench at the same time, and Preitor knew the bench wasn't the only one the _Cherva Tern_ had.

Either she was trying to push him off, get on his nerves, or… something else.

"Not all of us can be cannon fodder… _Arterius_." The Turian who once commanded Omega's Task Force Vorcha quipped back, his mandibles flexing as he shouldered into the female Turian a little bit, making himself some room. "If you're smart, you get paid better, and the missions are generally a lot more interesting. Especially when you get to snub some Eclipse sisters."

"It must pay very well to have you slave off people in the Terminus, and pirate defenseless merchant vessels." Vona retorted with her own pithy comment, shouldering the male Turian back, hard. "It's good to know your conscious does not come cheap."

"Better a dirty conscious than a sullied name." Preitor flared, his mandibles wide as he faced her, pushing her with his taloned hands, forcing her a few steps back. "Your brother was the one to start all this, and you think I'm the bad guy here? You have a score to settle, or something to prove, _Arterius_?"

"I've got something to prove." The female sniper growled as her talons came up, in a classic Turian fighting position. Though her posture was aggressive, her sub-dual tone from her flanged tone indicated a certain other type of activity other than fighting. Preitor growled, letting his throat indicate that he accepted the challenge as his own hands came up, readying himself as the sniper pounced the former merc, their bodies slamming into a nearby bulkhead. Talons intertwined as their heads met in something resembling a headbutt, their plates knocking together as mandibles flared open… and interlocked with one anothers'

Deeper in the ship, four people sat at a table, staring down one another as glares and silent threats were traded. The weapons, in this case, happened to be a deck of cards, the ammunition colored chips, and the defense five cards held towards the holder, the numbers facing the player only as a hotly contested game of Skyllian Five was being waged in the mess hall of the _Cherva Tern_. Jorgal Thrak, Chief Tech Specialist Elias Korvan, Chief Petty Officer Stacy Valentino, and Eloa'Varis nar Tombay vas Thessia each traded glances as Stacy, chomping on a lit cigar, picked up a few red chips and tossed them in the middle of the table while blowing out a ring of smoke, where the pile of chips was growing rather impressive.

"Call it, Krogan."

"Ha!" The Krogan mercenary laid out his five cards, showing what was known as an Ambassador's hand; a full house, and all royal. "I've been playing Skyllian Five longer than all of you have been alive put together." Thrak's growl was once of assurance. "I may be Krogan, but even I know how to count cards. The Turians' got a lesser three-of-a-kind," the announcement had the sniper's mandibles flare out in disbelief as he tossed his cards downward in disappointment, "the Quarians' got her hopes hinged on a double pair," a small choking noise came from the voice synthesizer of the Quarian Adept, whose cards drooped to show that she indeed only had tow pairs, "and you, Human, have only got a flush!" The Krogan chuckled as his hands went to the pot greedily, ready to scoop in the chips.

"Count again, Krogan."

Stacy laid her cards out, showing that Thrak was only half right. The Texan did indeed have a flush; five cards in the same suit. Unfortunately for the Krogan mercenary, the numbers were all in a row, known as a straight flush, which beat a full house. The merc looked at the Human Sentinels' hand with a red eye, disbelief evident on his face as his hands stopped scooping towards the chips, hovering right before taking them all away.

"Impossible!" Thrak slammed a fist into the table, making both cards and chips jump on the table as Elias and Eloa scooted backwards at the sign of an enraged Krogan. Stacy, huffing on her cigar, sat on her seat, unmoving, eyeing the Krogan as he leaned over the table, his massive head looming over hers as he growled. "You cheated."

Thrak felt a gun barrel press just under his chin, held in the Sentinel's hand.

"I'm from Texas," the Chief Petty Officer said around her cigar, "and in Texas, we shoot cheaters. Usually in a Bangkok Rules shootout." The blonde woman smiled as she stood her ground, staring right back at the ground. "Care to make a duel out of it, or do you want to win your money back, battlemaster?"

"Ha." The Krogan growled, his eyes narrowing at the Human half his size, and perhaps a fifth his weight, yet showing not one ounce of fear. "HA! You've got a quad, Human." The Krogan sat back down in his seat, and pushed the winnings towards Stacy. "You may be squishy, but you are not weak." The Sentinel holstered her M3 Predator, and collected the cards, shuffling them. "I will be winning my money back. And I don't care where this… 'Texas', is." That had the merc pause as the Turian sniper and the Quarian Biotic returned to the table. "Is it a harsh place?"

"Texans vacation in Tuchanka, big guy, and we barbecue shit that most people run away screaming from." The Chief Petty Officer smirked as she shuffled the cards once more. "Now we're going to play a real poker game. It's called Texas Hold'Em." The Human Sentinel began to explain the rules, and had the other three aliens' full attention as she began to deal the cards and lay down the river.

The first thing that the Australian-born man did with his new-found time off was sleep. And he wasn't alone.

The N6 woke up in his small quarters, finding that his bed was occupied with someone else; the Asari Vanguard. Asha laid beside him, still asleep as she held her body close to his own. Both were still appropriately clothed in their respective non-combat bodysuits, yet their night had not been a quiet one…

_A knock on his cabin door had Royce pulling his attention from the datapad that he was reading; an update of the war in Palaven space. Setting down the framed holographic display, the N6 hit the button to open the door to his personal cabin to see Asha T'vara standing at his door, clad in her black bodysuit. The Australian-born man felt his mouth go instantly dry as he looked at the Asari that stood there, her arms held behind him as she looked upon him with a smile and a spark in her eyes._

"_Asha. Please, come in." Royce offered, feeling more than a little nervous as the Vanguard walked into his cabin, closing the door behind her as she did so. The Marine was quite conscious of the obvious, yet did nothing to prevent it. Asha, after all, was an adult in Asari recollections, and was more than old enough to make her own decisions. He was about to ask her what she wanted to see him for, but the Asari beat him to the punch by showing him; she took his shoulders and pressed herself into him, their lips meeting with one anothers'. The action shocked Royce, but he wasn't surprised; as Elias pointed out earlier, they had been 'making mating eyes' at one another for some time, and it was bound to happen. He could feel the Asari's hands sliding around him in an embrace as his own hands held her tight, very conscious of her feminine body pushing into his own. The kiss seemed to last an eternity, and when it finally ended, it left the both of them breathless as Asha looked at Royce, her eyes promising that more would definitely be coming._

"_I know that your Alliance has rules about fraternization in the ranks, with subordinates, and whatnot," the Vanguard said as she slid her head into the hollow of his shoulder, her head frills brushing against the Marine's neck pleasantly as she held him close, "but I think certain rules no longer apply at the end of the world. Do today what you would have done tomorrow, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed."_

"_You remembered." Royce chuckled, placing his head on Asha's own, finding himself comforted in the alien's embraced. If someone had told him he would have found himself in this position a week ago, he would have laughed in the person's face. As it was… "I must warn you, Asha T'vara; I would very much like to have a good many tomorrows with you by my side."_

"_I would like that, too." The Asari pulled her head from his shoulder so that she could look at him, her grin broad and genuine. "But right now, I am interested in today. Specifically tonight." Their lips met once more, and Royce had no trouble enjoying it as the both of them staggered over to his small bed, lips doing their dance as hands began to fumble for suit fasteners and connection points. Royce felt his suit's top being pulled apart at the front as he unzipped Asha's at the back, the both of them struggling to get the other out of their clothes as quickly as possible. It took all of a second from when the remains of their suits hit the cabin's floor for the both of them to find themselves in Royce's bed, their nude bodies intertwining naturally in their passion as Royce placed himself above the Asari Maiden, their skin quickly connecting with one another's as Asha started to give off a soft keening noise as they began to instigate their primal wants and needs. Royce watched as Asha's head lolled about as the keening noise she gave entranced him, the noise pleasant to his ears as he watched her sky-blue eyes begin to go completely black as she smiled at him._

"_Meld with me, Royce." The Asari pleaded, seemingly trying to hold back onto something. "Open up your mind to me, and let me give you a gift of intimacy I have shared with no other before." Royce did as she asked as their bodies continued their act, and the Marine felt… something wonderfully unexplainable. It was as if he could feel every emotion the Asari felt, molding to his own. It was more than doubling the experience; it was as if every fiber of their being was joining in on the act of passion, and visiting upon the partner for them to experience. Royce then understood what it meant to be Asari; to be both male and female while being neither at the same time. Physical coupling was only a part of the experience, and as pleasant as that was, the meld increased it several fold. Every emotion was shared, every experience traded, every thought broadcasted as their intimacy was slowly brought to a thrilling end. Their passions sated, the meld and the sex ended, yet the satisfaction that came from the act lingered as Royce flopped onto his back, laying next to the blue-skinned woman as she pressed herself to his side, clearly intending to enjoy the afterglow by cuddling, which the Australian-born man slid his arm under the Asari, holding her close to him._

"_That… was simply… word don't convey how incredible that was." Royce said to the naked Vanguard as she rested her head against his chest, her frills slightly tickling him. He absently began to smooth the blue, small-scaled head crest that represented the Asari's hair, stroking the top of her head. There was an awkward silence moment that Asha thankfully rescued him from by sliding one of her hands across his chest, holding onto him as her breathing slowed to a sleeping rhythm, the Asari falling into slumber alongside of him. Royce looked at her nude form, his eyes tracing over the swells and curves of her figure, feeling the different texture of her skin, the slight pebbling that seemed smooth on his fingers as he decided to mimic her actions, closing his eyes and let much-needed sleep take him over._

_The world for Royce and Asha, for the moment, was bliss._

Fine

A/N: This is the 'Official' end of The Battle of Menae, yet not the end of the Mass Effect Battle Series. Stay tuned; same time, same channel. Mass Effect: The Battle Of Tuchanka is on its way!


	27. Chapter 27

AND NOW, A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS…

**Sirta Foundation**_** -**_** From The Creators Of MediGel - Building A Better You**

Everyone else seems to do some A/N's at the end of chapters. I went with Endnotes instead of footnotes. Here I'll answer some questions, explain my reasons, and generally confirm what you may have guessed.

First? Part one is done. There is a Part two. And it's coming up! _Hola_, Tuchanka!

While based on a video game, I tried to make it a little more reality-based. As a Combat Arms soldier with four deployments to the Middle East, I couldn't help but drawing on some of my episodes, experiences, and situations to aid me in writing this. There are times I just had to make stuff up (like the _Uvaks_) and slip from canon to better explain things, like MediGel. As Menae itself was hardly described or detailed, I got to use a lot of Author's Liberty in the making of this story. Based on what you can see on the game, I expanded the Moon of Palaven as best I could. In other words, I just plain made some shit up.

There are, of course, some glaring errors I couldn't fix.

_**Armax Arsenal - Because Sometimes Diplomacy Fails. That's Why We Make Guns**_

Palaven's star is a more-energetic, bluish star, which is a bit more radiation-producing than our own. Palaven itself has a very low magnetosphere due to its metals-poor core. Due to this lack of protection, Turians (and presumably all life on Palaven) have evolved to adapt to this, thus the plates and scales on Turians. Menae, on the other hand, is not even described to have an atmosphere, a magnetosphere, or anything else. Since in ME3 you see Turians and Shepard running around without helmets, it is safe to assume that it has an atmosphere with the necessary composition to support both Human and Turian life, at least for an extended period of time. The only suggestion we get about the Menae Atmo is James' lack of breath, but we don't know if that's due to a lack of oxygen, or a mixture of something else.

MediGel is barely described, and I admittedly changed it to suit my purposes. MediGel is now a pouch containing a wound dressing made of sterile material, with blood coagulant, disinfectant, sealant, anti-inflammatory medication, narcotic-based painkiller, with anastalgic medication and complex amino-acid vitamins and nutrients to accelerate healing, growth, and curb any possible necrosis, septicemia, and contamination. It is not a Goddamn cure-all. A GSW is a GSW, and needs doctors, or at least a pair of pliers and some needle and thread. We use to stuff Tampons into bullet wounds to seal them. It worked, and God bless the man who came up with this 'RIGHT-NOW' remedy that has saved a bunch of lives, albeit in a unusual manner. Don't knock it until you try it, and trying it usually means that you or someone around you has been shot. Please avoid this.

Mass Effect 2 went with the use of Heavy Weapons… which I liked. Then they all but nixed them in ME3… which I didn't like. I mean, seriously, the Cain was an amazing weapon, and I loved the Collector particle rifle. So I introduced my own Heavy Weapon, the M320 Vulcan chaingun. A nod to Predator and Terminator 2, not to mention Halo 3 and Reach, the personnel-carried minigun is, indeed, overkill. Yet the squad selection of weapons in ME 2 and 3 were limited to two weapons (though a good deal of those weapons were quite nice). I did away with that, and wondered why nobody duel-wielded any weapons, or carried a back-up assault rifle or shotgun. Besides, some of the characters didn't match their occupation; Miranda was a Sentinel with no tech armor, Tali was an Engineer with a shotgun while Mordin was without, Legion an Infiltrator without a Tactical Cloak, Thane was just a confused mess, and Jack was a Vanguard with a shotgun, but no biotic charge. And just what was the point of Marksman in ME 3? Not to mention Shockwave went from an awesome power in 2 to a ghost of itself in 3. For the most part, I stuck with Shepard's choice of weapons and powers for the various characters, and added one or two ideas that one would think would pop up in a warzone. The Blackstar and the Spitfire were good guns, but having been use to carrying them, and now having to only use one once? And who carries a gun that has only one shot? Even the BFG 9000 could reload.

**Elkoss Combine - We're Volus; We Pretty Much Own All Of You, Anyhow**

No airborne drops or fast-ropes in the future, I guess. I know we'd probably could come up with something other than parachutes (like the coffins out of ODST), but not one Mass Effect jump jet? Or a cushion of some type? So the Jump Belts came to be. Did some research on the needs of a HALO jump, and took a swing at it. There are some obvious missing parts, such as having to breath pure oxygen for a good while before a jump, and the need of insulating clothing and probably something pressurized. At 30,000 feet (HALOs can go as high as 35,000) there isn't enough atmo to sustain you unless you're trained for it. In ME, we see that the Armor everyone wears is part EVA, part combat gear. So I went with that, as slapping a helmet on apparently makes you space-walk worthy. BTW, the written HALO jump that I did was an on-the-fly thing, while the real deal is a process of mathematics, atmospheric computations, weather, air pressure, etc. One doesn't simply go 'I want to jump 30 grand' and simply do so in a few minutes. That move will end with you doing an impression of grape jelly on the ground somewhere. BTW, parachuting is very safe due to our safety standards.

The hardest part of this was the makings of a boss. ME had Saren and Sovereign. ME 2 had Harbinger (an unkillable enemy, not bad). ME 3 had… Kai Leng? Seriously, I thought this was rather bad. You kill a Reaper in Rannoch, but you can't off a cheap knock-off of Cyber Grey Fox? Harbinger barely makes a Cameo, and I thought he was a decently annoying villain. I wouldn't have mind to see more threats from Indoctrinated people, but it seemed mostly glossed over save from one jellyfish and (perhaps) Cerberus personnel. You honestly read more about it than worry about it. The Outrun-A-Nuclear-Blast Asari is practically a bynote when she assassinates Thessian government officials, as was poor Please-Don't-Leave-Me-On-Virmire STG Salarian. How did a Paragon choice end up this bad?

In the story, I wanted a nemesis; a badass _something_ that would make everyone kinda feel like I was tugging at their short-and-curlies. I had a list of ideas from a Banshee, to a conglomerated Husk/Cannibal/Marauder thingie, to that weird Techno-Organic monster from that shit movie _Virus_ starring Jamie Lee Curtis. None popped until I came up with the idea of a Reaperized Yahg. I know what your saying… "Jersey, Yahg aren't a intergalatic species. Reapers wouldn't harvest them!". Except there is evidence that some Yahg are out, and that makes them fair game. There is, of course, the old Shadow Broker, and the Salarian test tube playmates. I went with the side story that the old Shadow Broker (before becoming the Shadow Broker) snuck a few off Parnak at a time, thinking to start up an Empire. Malicious bastard that he was, this is totally in his realm of thinking. I made it to where one Yahg was on Khar'shan, and despite fighting off Reaper forces, was captured and changed, as he made a rather awesome villain, the Behemoth. Thank god BioWare didn't think of this; the Shadow Broker was hard enough with just a Tech Shield and a sub-machine gun.

_**Khar'shan Industries - We Deprive With Pride - Ask Us About Our Slave Group Discount Rates!**_

I purposefully left almost every decision that Shepard made in the three games unknown, as well as Shepard being an unknown. Did the Counsel survive? Where's the Rachni Queen? How many made it off the suicide mission? Did that reporter bitch get socked in the face? The only real hint I gave was Jorgal Thrak; he only shows up as Urdnot Wreav's second-in-command if Wrex was killed in Virmire. Since Thrak is on Menae as oppose to Tuchanka, we can assume that Wrex may indeed be kicking it down in Tuchanka. And also… obviously Shepard helped Chorban out scanning the keepers (about the dumbest mini-game/side-quest ever). It is theorized that this was actually suppose to do something in Mass Effect 3, but because of the writer change, was never realized. So… I took it over. Aren't you glad you needed those credits while traipsing throughout the Citadel like a trained monkey?

Yes, I brought back heat sinks. What was the advantage of possibly running out of ammo, again? I seem to recall throwing two Frictionless Material VIII's onto an Assault Rifle and using it throughout Virmire without overheating once. In fact, I had the Cold Snap rounds that fired at like −40% speed and held the trigger throught the entirety of most of the firefights without issue. Gee, thanks for making me scramble for 'universal' thermal clips that don't explain how I can shoot like 70 rounds out of a Phaseton, 150 out of a Geth sub, but like two out of a Batarian Raider. And exactly how does a thermal clip work, physics-wise. 'Traps heat'? 'Doesn't cool down, ever?' 'Makes me look like an asshole when my Katana runs dry?' What a crock. I'm bringing back heat sinks. State-of-the-art geth technology, my ass. Can we make electric guns, now? Plasma weaponry? Sonic blasters? Laser cannons? Sub-space rockets? Why not a gun that fires, well, Mass Effects at people? Like a Black Hole Gun? I like the sound of that.

And if you must know, Commander Shepard will make a brief appearance in the next set of the Battle series. No other Cameos for the time being planned.

**BioWare, Corp - We Loved Garth So Much, We Put Him Into Yet Another Series. Look Out, Dragon Age III!**


End file.
